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

Montreal, July 14, 2014 - Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) supports the UN call for a ceasefire, and shares its concerns about the high civilian casualties among Palestinians. According to international reports, 172 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military. The UN estimates that 77 percent of the victims were civilians. Meanwhile, no Israelis have been killed. Continue reading

Montreal, July 8, 2014 - Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CPME) calls on MPs of all stripes to press Israel to end its disproportionate assault on Gaza. “Rocket-fire from Gaza is seldom lethal, and thus no justification for repeated air strikes, let alone the ground invasion that Israel is reportedly preparing,” says CJPME President Thomas Woodley. CJPME reminds MPs that the number of Palestinian non-combatants killed by the Israeli military over the last 10 years far outstrips the number of Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians in the same period: 2041 versus 186. Thus, attempts by the Israeli government to portray itself as a victim with no choice but to raze Gaza, as it did in 2009, are patently groundless. Continue reading

Montreal, June 23, 2014 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)—a grassroots citizens’ group— believes the Canadian government’s indifference directly contributed to today’s conviction and sentencing of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy. An Egyptian court convicted Fahmy and two other Aljazeera journalists on charges of aiding terrorism and falsifying news. Fahmy and Australian journalist Peter Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison, and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed to ten years. Amnesty International observers of the trial commented that the prosecution failed to produce a single shred of solid evidence for either charge. As noted by Amnesty International, Fahmy and the other Al Jazeera crew members were simply doing their jobs as a news crew. Continue reading