Montreal, April 13, 2015  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls on the Canadian government to make an emergency intervention to help the Palestinian refugees caught between warring factions at the Yarmouk camp.  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon condemned the situation in Syria’s Yarmouk refugee camp this week, calling it Syria’s “deepest circle of hell.” Yarmouk Camp, located just seven kilometers from central Damascus, is currently home to approximately 18,000 Palestinian refugees and has been threatened by Assad government forces, Syrian rebel groups and, most recently, Islamic State (ISIS) fighters. The situation in Yarmouk has deteriorated in past weeks with aid agencies unable to reach people in need and ISIS militants engaging in violent acts against civilians. Secretary Ban Ki-Moon further described Yarmouk by saying, “a refugee camp is beginning to resemble a death camp.”

This paper contains recommendations for the Canadian government regarding the Syrian civil war.

This position paper displays a list of Policy recommendations for Canada regarding the conflict in Syria. The list includes providing humanitarian aid, helping to negotiate a ceasefire in Syria and help the country transition to a more representative government. 

CJPME Factsheet 151, published April, 2012: This factsheet talks about the many political and commercial interests that play out in Syria: those in Canada and other Western countries included.  It also talks about the domestic interests and sectarian groups that have a stake in maintaining, or challenging, the status quo.