Montreal, December 10, 2014  — CJPME joins with other Canadian and international groups in lamenting Canada’s miserly approach to Syrian refugees.  These admonishments come as the UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) made a plea yesterday in Geneva for wealthy countries to increase their refugee resettlement commitments.  While Canada has confirmed its willingness to resettle Syrian refugees, it made no new announcements to increase the number of Syrian refugees it would resettle.  With its promise to accept a mere 1300 Syrians – out of which only 457 have made their way to Canada – CJPME, Amnesty International Canada and others have condemned Canada for its ungenerous and insensitive approach to Syrian refugees.     Continue reading

Montreal, October 20, 2014  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is delighted to announce the imminent lecture tour of renowned Israeli author and journalist Gideon Levy. The title of the lectures is “The Israel-Palestine Conflict: How will it end?” Levy—who has written for the Israeli daily Haaretz since 1982, and is a member of its editorial board—will focus on Israelis’ and Palestinians’ respective attitudes to the conflict, and how such attitudes are shaping the conflict’s evolution, duration and outcome. Continue reading

Montreal, October 3, 2014  — CJPME urges Canadian MPs to remember that there are principled and more effective alternatives to putting “boots on the ground” in Iraq. CJPME believes that recent history has demonstrated that Western military action – without a significant and sustained humanitarian commitment – provides little or no long-term benefit.   Continue reading

Toronto, October 2, 2014  — CJPME is delighted to announce the imminent opening of a bold and timely international photo exhibition entitled Dispossessed, but Defiant: Indigenous Struggles from around the World.  The exhibition, produced by the CJPME Foundation, documents different aspects of indigenous peoples’ experiences of dispossession and their inspiring struggles to resist these processes.  Continue reading

Montreal, October 1, 2014 - Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges Canadian MPs of all stripes to back the Palestinian call for the UN to set a specific deadline for Israel to end its military occupation of the territories captured in the 1967 war—Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. “Further prolongation of the occupation is not only unfair to Palestinians, it may soon have dramatic and dreadful consequences for international stability and security,” warns CJPME President Thomas Woodley. Continue reading

Montreal, August 27, 2014 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. The ceasefire was slated to begin yesterday. It was brokered by Egypt and Qatar. According to Al Jazeera news network, the deal includes an immediate easing of Israel's blockage of crossings into Gaza. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will also be opened. CBC reports that under the deal, aid and reconstruction materials will be allowed in, and Palestinians will be allowed to fish up to six nautical miles offshore, up from three. Discussions on the creation of a seaport and airport will take place in a month, when indirect talks between Israel and Palestinians will resume. Continue reading

Montreal, August 25, 2014 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns human rights atrocities being committed by ISIS (“Islamic State of Iraq and Sham”), an armed extremist group, in northern Iraq. According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and other human rights groups, ISIS has been ruthlessly carrying out widespread ethnic and religious cleansing in the areas under its control. Its violations include targeted killings, forced conversions, abductions, trafficking, slavery, sexual abuse, destruction of religious and cultural sites, and the besieging of entire communities because of ethnic, religious or sectarian affiliation. Among those directly targeted are Christians, Yezidis, Shabaks, Turkomen, Kaka’e and Sabaeans. Continue reading

Montreal, July 25, 2014  — Yesterday, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) issued a document (http://cjpme.nationbuilder.com/israels_arguments) called How to respond to Israel’s pet arguments. CJPME hopes to help concerned Canadians better understand the context of the Israeli assault on Gaza and respond to common arguments used by proponents of Israel to prolong the assault. CJPME hopes that individuals in the public sphere will consider the information provided and regard such arguments more critically in the future. Continue reading

Montreal, July 24, 2014 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) believes that the leaders of Canada’s major political parties have betrayed Canadian values in their response to the violence between Israel and Gaza. “The statements by political leaders of recent weeks demonstrate no nuance of understanding of the broader situation between Israel, Gaza and the Palestinians,” asserts CJPME President Thomas Woodley. “In its own way, each political party has declared unquestioning support for Israel, and unexamined condemnation of the Palestinians. This is not principled, nor does it respect the precepts of international law in the broader context.” Continue reading

Montreal, July 18, 2014 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) strongly condemns the land invasion of Gaza by Israel troops, initiated yesterday, and urges both Hamas and Israel to accept a ceasefire. CJPME notes that the bogus “ceasefire” earlier this week was announced by Egypt and Israel without consultation with Hamas. As such, it was invalid and non-binding. Not surprisingly, hostilities resumed within hours. Continue reading