Montreal, August 7, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is outraged by reports that Canada’s Ambassador to Japan will be boycotting Friday’s memorial service for the US  atomic bombing of Nagasaki over the fact that Israel was not invited. The City of Nagasaki had declined to invite the Israeli Ambassador, whose government is involved in the mass killing of civilians in Gaza. CJPME agrees that the presence of Israel, whose current Ministers have called for dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza, would be completely inappropriate, and condemns Canada for this deeply offensive diplomatic statement. Continue reading

Montreal, July 26, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) applauds the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) for indicating that it will revoke the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada (JNF Canada), reportedly “over support for military infrastructure in Israel.” For decades, Independent Jewish Voices Canada and other activists have brought attention to JNF Canada’s abuse of charitable funds to support projects linked to the Israeli military and settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). This includes the notorious “Canada Park” which sits in the occupied West Bank on the ruins of Palestinian villages. CJPME urges Canada to continue to investigate and punish all connections between Canadian charities and illegal Israeli activity. Continue reading

Montreal, July 25, 2024 - CJPME has sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging Canada's compliance with the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Israel's illegal occupation.  Click here to download the full letter as a PDF. Continue reading

Montreal, July 19, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to support today’s breakthrough advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and help bring an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. In a groundbreaking decision, the ICJ concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) is illegal and must end as rapidly as possible. CJPME urges Canada to issue sanctions on Israeli leaders in response to its illegal practices, and to support any further efforts by the United Nations to force Israel’s compliance with international law. Continue reading

Montreal, July 12, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is condemning attempts by federal officials to intervene and overturn an agreement made in good faith between the University of Windsor (UW) and the student-led Palestinian solidarity encampment (“Palestine Liberation Zone”). Earlier this week, the UW peacefully brought an end to the encampment by committing to act on many of the students’ demands. Yesterday, Anthony Housefather, senior advisor to Prime Minister Trudeau on antisemitism, announced that he was working with Special Envoy Deborah Lyons to put pressure on the university, presumably to cancel the agreement. CJPME urges the University to reject any government interference and uphold its commitments on Palestinian human rights. Continue reading

Montreal, July 5, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns the smear campaign against Birju Dattani, the incoming chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). The campaign, which is led by pro-Israel advocacy organizations, seeks to cancel Dattani’s appointment over his past support for Palestinian human rights. CJPME asserts that challenging Israel’s racist practices against Palestinians is a legitimate form of political expression and entirely consistent with Dattani’s mandate to combat racism, and urges Justice Minister Virani to reject the calls to rescind the appointment.  Continue reading

Montreal, July 5, 2024 - CJPME has sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc urging an end to collaboration with Israel's Ministry of National Security, led by far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.  Click here to download the full letter as a PDF. Continue reading

Montreal, June 26, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to put pressure on Israeli leadership to accept a ceasefire deal that would ensure a permanent end to hostilities in Gaza. The current proposal for a ceasefire as endorsed by US President Biden and the UN Security Council, despite being marketed as an “Israeli” plan, has not been accepted by Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, who still opposes an end to Israel’s genocidal war. Amid famine conditions in Gaza and threats of all-out war in Lebanon, CJPME urges Canada to impose sanctions on Israel’s leadership to force an end to hostilities. Continue reading

Montreal, June 20, 2024 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) applauds the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) for including anti-Palestinian racism (APR) as part of its Combating Hate and Racism Student Learning Strategy. A report adopted yesterday by the TDSB in a 15-7 vote includes APR as an area of focus “in response to student and community voices,” and follows advocacy from Toronto Palestinian and Jewish families. This means that a working group will be formed to educate students on APR, alongside other forms of discrimination including Islamophobia and antisemitism. CJPME urges the TDSB to implement this policy as soon as possible to address the dangerous and rising wave of APR. Continue reading

Montreal, June 12, 2024 — A new report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that a Canadian public official tasked with countering racism has demonstrated a harmful and malicious pattern of spreading misinformation against supporters of Palestine, and is calling for her to be replaced. Titled “Defaming the Pro-Palestine Movement,” the report examines the public commentary of Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, and finds that her office has consistently spread false information to demonize Canadians protesting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. CJPME’s report recommends that Lyons should be replaced in her position with someone able to combat antisemitism in an intersectional manner, without reproducing anti-Palestinian racism. Continue reading