Montreal, April 5, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to condemn the Israeli government in the strongest terms following last night’s brutal attack on worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. Widely circulating videos from inside the Al-Qibli prayer hall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque show Israeli police brutally beating Palestinian worshippers who had been performing the religious practice of Itikaf during Ramadan. Hundreds of Palestinians, including women, children, and elderly, were staying overnight in the mosque to pray. During the attack, a health clinic was destroyed and media teams were blocked from accessing the injured. CJPME urges Canada to respond to this aggressive attack on a place of worship by imposing sanctions on Israel, starting with an immediate arms embargo.

Montreal, February 8, 2023 - Below is a letter to Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade of Canada, Mary Ng, requesting an explanation for her meeting with Ofir Akunis, a minister in Israel's far-right government. "This meeting raises troubling human rights concerns given the Israeli government’s espousal of supremacist views, its intentions to illegally annex the occupied West Bank, and the growing recognition that Israel’s practices amount to the crime of apartheid under international law." Click here to download the letter as a PDF.

Montreal, December 21, 2022 — With the announcement of the formation of Israel’s 37th government, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on the Canadian government to expel the Israeli ambassador to demonstrate that it is distancing itself from Israel’s new far-right regime. CJPME notes that the coalition led by Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu, who enshrined Israel’s deeply racist Nation-State Law and whose plans to annex significant portions of the occupied West Bank remain “on the table,” is propped up by even more extreme, far-right elements. The Religious Zionism party (including Jewish Power), whose leaders have promoted vigilante violence, racial segregation, the annexation of the West Bank and the deportation of “disloyal” Israelis and Palestinians alike, is the third largest party in the Knesset and a major coalition partner. Expelling the Israeli ambassador would send a clear and unambiguous signal that the new government’s stated intentions to violate human rights and international law are completely unacceptable.

Montreal, November 21, 2022 — Canada’s rejection of the findings by Amnesty International on Israel’s regime of “apartheid” was not based on specific evidence, as indicated by documents released under the Access to Information Act and obtained by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME). The released documents reveal that Global Affairs Canada (GAC)’s response to Amnesty’s landmark report did not identify any specific issue or criticism that would justify rejecting its findings, but that GAC nonetheless concluded that the report “will not alter Canada’s engagement with Israel.” CJPME calls on the Canadian government to meaningfully engage with the consensus on Israel’s apartheid within the human rights sector and immediately implement the recommendations detailed in Amnesty’s report.

Click here for a Timeline of Canada’s Response to Amnesty’s Report

Montreal, November 15, 2022 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is angered by Canada’s opposition to a draft United Nations motion which would request a legal opinion on the illegality of Israel’s occupation. Last Friday, the UN’s Fourth Committee voted 98-17 to request the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory” occupied since 1967, with Canada voting in the minority against the resolution. CJPME considers Israel’s de facto “permanent occupation” over Palestinians to be inhumane and brutal, and urges Canada to support this necessary resolution when it comes to a final vote in the UNGA plenary before the end of the year.

Montreal, June 14, 2022 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) congratulates the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) for endorsing a series of measures in support of Palestinian human rights, including sanctions on Israel. A resolution adopted by the OFL and published today in a statement on international solidarity calls for an end to Canadian arms sales to Israel, a ban on goods from illegal Israel settlements, and divestment from Israeli military companies. Another resolution adopted by the OFL upholds free speech on Palestine by rejecting the discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, which equates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. The OFL is Canada’s largest labour federation, representing more than 1,500 locals from 54 affiliated unions.

Montreal, May 5, 2022  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to take immediate action to protect the rights of more than 1,000 Palestinians in 8 villages in the West Bank area of Masafer Yatta, following an Israeli Supreme Court ruling which gives a green light to their imminent forcible transfer. While the forcible transfer of a civilian population is clearly prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel’s Supreme Court sets the stage for one of the largest expulsions of Palestinians since the start of the occupation in 1967. CJPME demands Canada protect Palestinians against the threat of ethnic cleansing by imposing sanctions against Israeli officials and referring the matter to the International Criminal Court.

Montreal, May 4, 2022 - Below is a letter from CJPME to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly challenging Canada's insufficient response to Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan. The letter urges Joly to condemn the attacks, noting: "It is not too late to take a principle stand against Israeli attacks, so that these egregious acts are not repeated in the future." Click here to download a PDF of the letter.

Montreal, July 26, 2021  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling for a major shift in Canadian policy vis-a-vis Israel and Palestine to de-emphasize the goal of a “two-state solution,” noting that the longstanding position of the Canadian government may no longer be possible nor desirable. In a new policy document, CJPME argues that the emphasis on a two-state solution has become an obstacle to peace, and that Canadian officials need to be open to possible alternatives that would uphold equal rights and freedoms, including a “one-state solution,” or a single democratic state with equal rights. Regardless of the preferred political arrangement, CJPME argues that sanctions against Israel are required to advance Palestinian self-determination.

Montreal, June 13, 2021 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging the Canadian government to take immediate action to guarantee the rights and safety of Palestinians following the nomination of Israel’s new far-right Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. CJPME warns that Bennett has a long history of violently racist statements and actions against Palestinians, and therefore poses a grave threat to the millions of Palestinians who live under Israel’s military rule.