On July 19th 2024 the ICJ court released its decision regarding Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. It concluded in its ruling that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied territory is illegal and must end as soon as possible. It included Israel’s prolonged occupation, it’s settlement expansion, continuous annexation of the territory, its apartheid policies, as well as providing full reparations, restitution and compensation including the return of all the land and the evacuation of its settlements. 

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.   

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.

Montreal, November 08, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) sent a formal letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week urging him to join the international community in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Canada has so far opposed calls for a ceasefire and appears to support Israel’s indefinite military escalation with the goal of “eliminating” Hamas. However, with more than 10,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s offensive, and the siege on food, water, and electricity creating a catastrophic humanitarian toll, CJPME is urging Trudeau to acknowledge that its failed approach is only perpetuating further human suffering.

Montreal, October 28, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) condemns Canada’s abstention on a UN General Assembly emergency resolution late Friday, which called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” in Gaza. Many considered the resolution to be the last opportunity to prevent the bloody and devastating ground assault that was subsequently launched on Gaza by Israel. The resolution was sponsored by Jordan and passed with 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions. In addition to calling for a truce, it also called for all parties to respect international humanitarian law and allow the “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” provision of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The resolution also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all civilians held captive. As the UN debate was underway, Israel imposed a total communications blackout on Gaza and launched a ground assault, escalating its bloody and devastating attacks on Gaza in complete darkness.

Montreal, October 21, 2023 [Signatories updated November 7] - Below is a joint statement from a broad and representative cross-section of Canadian civil society to demand an immediate ceasefire and urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza. Signatories include labour, faith, community (Arab, Palestinian, Jewish), civil society, and peace and justice organizations.

Montreal, October 15, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) expresses deep concern over the inconsistent media coverage of the Gaza-Israel war since October 7, 2023. CJPME has been closely following the reporting in Canada media over the past week, and is aware of many instances in which news coverage has failed to be consistent in upholding professional journalistic standards.  CJPME provides the following critiques of the media response of the past week, and recommendations for future coverage:

Montreal, October 13, 2023 [Updated October 14, 2023] — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is expressing extreme concern over the Canadian government’s failure to secure evacuation for citizens stuck in Gaza and the West Bank. While Canada has already completed four evacuation flights for its citizens in Israel, it has yet to secure plans for its own citizens in the occupied Palestinian territories, despite the catastrophic humanitarian situation. Israel told Canadian officials earlier today that they had decided against proposals to allow foreign nationals to flee Gaza via Egypt. This leaves at least 150 Canadian citizens trapped by Israel alongside more than 2 million Palestinians, without any relief or safety from Israeli siege and bombardment.

Words cannot express our worry and fear for the two million civilians of Gaza. Over the weekend, Israel has ordered half the population of Gaza to move to the south of the territory, and has taken actions that suggest they plan to dispossess millions of Palestinians from Gaza - literally a Nakba 2.0. Seemingly indifferent, the Trudeau government refuses to push for a ceasefire even after more than 2700 Palestinians have been killed. Let it be said that you did not sit idly by while our political leaders watched Israel turn Gaza to dust, slaughter its people, and commit another mass atrocity.

Like CJPME, you've probably been following events around Gaza closely these past 24 hours. Like you, we've been doing our best to respond to poor media coverage, and one-sided statements from politicians.  Here's a summary of what we've been doing, and ways you can participate.  If you believe in CJPME's work, please consider donating. 

Influencing Media Narratives

Early on Saturday, CJPME issued a strong press statement to the media that was picked up by the Canadian Press, and quoted in dozens of print and broadcast publications.  You can see us quoted in the piece in the Calgary Herald, the Toronto Star, and dozens of other publications and broadcasters. The PR contained important core points: If you're talking to your friends, some you might find useful are: