Montreal, December 15, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on the Canadian government to take meaningful action against Israeli settler violence, amid an epidemic of violence and displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. In a letter sent today to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, CJPME urges Canada to follow the lead of the US, UK, and EU in imposing visa bans on Israeli settlers involved in violence, but insists that Israeli officials must be held equally accountable. CJPME recommends that Canada impose sanctions on far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir and consider designating Israel as a state supporter of terrorism. Continue reading

Montreal, December 15, 2023 - CJPME has sent to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly urging action against state-sponsored settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Click here to download the full letter as a PDF Continue reading

Montreal, December 15, 2023 - As of December 11, 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced almost 1.9 million Palestinians, constituting nearly 85% of Gaza’s population. Israel has ordered Palestinians across the territory to ‘evacuate’ their homes, a demand that the UN has said is impossible to carry out. Even worse, Israel has continued to bomb the supposedly ‘safe’ areas it has ordered Palestinians to flee to, underlining the fact that nowhere is safe in Gaza. To help Canadians better understand the scale and implications of Israel’s evacuation orders, CJPME has issued the below infographic comparing Gaza to Toronto. With this context, it is clear to see that Israel’s orders are unfair, absurd, and impossible.    Continue reading

Montreal, December 12, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes Canada’s vote at the United Nations General Assembly in support of a ceasefire in Gaza, which shows that the government is gradually ceding to popular pressure. Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 18,000 Palestinians over the last two months, and UN experts warn that Israel’s actions point to “a genocide in the making.” CJPME urges Canada to be unequivocal in demanding an end to Israel’s genocidal war, and to back up its words with the suspension of military trade with Israel. Continue reading

Montreal, December 7, 2023 — A new report from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) highlights the widespread problem of anti-Palestinian racism (APR) in Canadian society, exposing more than 500 examples of this form of racism in online written content in 2022. Titled Anti-Palestinian Racism in Canada: CJPME’s 2022 Report, the report constitutes the first-ever, non-exhaustive study of APR in Canada. As the study is limited in scope, the problem of APR is likely much more serious than indicated here. Significantly, the report argues that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism should be recognized as a key purveyor of APR, as it drives conflation of antisemitism with criticism of Israel, leading to unfair and defamatory attacks on Palestinians and their supporters. Continue reading

Montreal, December 4, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns Israel’s decision not to renew the visa of a top United Nations humanitarian aid official, who is also a Canadian national. Israel has notified the UN that it will not renew the visa for Lynn Hastings, resident humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, when her visa expires later this month. CJPME urges the Canadian government to demand that Israel renew Hastings’ visa, and take action to hold Israel accountable for its attacks on humanitarian workers. Continue reading

Montreal, December 1, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes today’s historic introduction of official parliamentary petition e-4649, which calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and was sponsored by MP Alexandre Boulerice. With 286,700 signatures, it is the most popular e-petition in the history of Parliament. CJPME welcomes this petition as a symbol of Canadians’ unprecedented support for Palestinian rights and an end to Israel’s war. CJPME urges Prime Minister Trudeau to respect the overwhelming calls for a ceasefire, and ensure that the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas does not revert to a resumption of bloodshed. Continue reading

Montreal, November 29, 2023 — On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we wish that we could be optimistic about the prospects for justice, peace, and a negotiated end to the occupation of Palestine. Instead, we find ourselves trying to find shards of hope in the midst of an attempted genocide by Israel in the occupied Gaza Strip and a failure of Canadian leadership at home. Continue reading

Montreal, November 24, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is appalled by the actions of the Toronto police in violently arresting 11 anti-war activists who had allegedly affixed posters and red paint to the exterior of an Indigo bookstore. CJPME notes that Indigo is a long-standing target of the movement to boycott Israel, due to the CEO’s indirect financial support for the Israeli military. CJPME insists that protesting Indigo is a legitimate form of expression against Israel’s war on Gaza and urges Toronto police to drop the spurious charges against the activists. Continue reading

Montreal, November 21, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the temporary Qatar-mediated truce announced between Israel and Hamas, and urges the Canadian government to leverage this momentum to push for a permanent ceasefire. The multi-day truce deal will provide temporary relief in the fighting, an increase in humanitarian aid, and secure the release of some Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages. The deal was approved by the Israeli cabinet and is expected to come into effect on Thursday. CJPME warns that this truce must not be allowed to end with the resumption of Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment and siege of Gaza, but must lead to a complete cessation of hostilities and an end to the occupation and siege – a full ceasefire. Continue reading