Montreal, September 27, 2017 – In light of Canada’s silence on Israel’s human rights abuses, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) launches the Peace in Palestine campaign in an effort to force Canada’s politicians to have an honest public discussion about Israel’s illegal settlements and how Canada must respond. The goal of the campaign is to have Parliament pass a motion condemning Israel’s illegal “settlements” (aka colonies), which are an ongoing obstacle to peace and violate Palestinians’ human rights. 

Montreal, July 13, 2017  — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a warning concerning the mislabelling of wines from Israeli colonies (aka “settlements”) as products of Israel. CFIA clarified that these grapes are “grown, fermented, processed, blended, and finished in the West Bank occupied territory,” – territories never attributed or recognized as being part of Israel proper. Following the CFIA report, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) discontinued the importation of these mislabelled wines, with remaining bottles to be removed from store shelves.  CJPME commends CFIA for its decision to ensure rigor, transparency, and compliance in regards to the labeling of wines coming from the Middle East, specifically the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT.)

Montreal, July 13, 2017  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) wishes to direct media attention to Dr. David Kattenburg, the Winnipeg resident who initiated the complaint to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) which resulted in a directive to liquor vendors to suspend sales of wines falsely labelled as “Made in Israel.”  

Montreal, June 15, 2017  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges Canada to sign on to Amnesty International’s campaign calling on all countries to refuse to recognize or assist illegal Jewish-only Israeli “settlements” (a.k.a. colonies.) Late last week, Amnesty introduced their “Occupation @ 50” campaign urging governments around the world to ban the import of all goods produced in Israeli colonies. In addition, Amnesty encourages countries like Canada to introduce national legislation to ensure that companies operating in Canada are not involved in Israel’s settlement enterprise or in the trading of settlement goods. 

Montreal, February 8, 2017  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) again implores the Trudeau government to publicly condemn yet another step in Israel’s dispossession of Palestinians from the West Bank.  Right-wing coalition members of the Israeli government forced the bill, and it passed 60-52 in Israel’s parliament – the Knesset.  Israel’s so-called “Regulation Bill” was slammed as a means to “legalize theft” of Palestinian land. “The Trudeau government’s ongoing silence on this, and other recent Israeli steps to dispossess Palestinians is unconscionable,” declared Thomas Woodley, President of CJPME. 

Montreal, February 2, 2017  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) considers the Trudeau government’s behaviour embarrassing in the face of dramatic announcements by Israel to expand its illegal “settlements.”  In addition to announcing 3000 new settlement units yesterday, the Israeli government announced plans to break ground on an entirely new settlement – the first time since the late 1990s.  “The Trudeau government says it believes in the two-state solution, but its silence these past few weeks tells a different story,” declared Thomas Woodley, President of CJPME. “The Trudeau government gives lip-service to Middle East peace, but continues to turn a blind eye to the illegal Israeli colonization of land that is slated to be part of a Palestinian state.”  

Montreal, January 31, 2017  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls on the Canadian government to condemn Israel’s recent statements announcing its intention to expand its illegal settlements in Palestinian territory.  In the week ending Friday, Jan. 27^th, Israel made three separate settlement expansion announcements, yet Canada remained unresponsive.  “Not only are such announcements contrary to international law,” declared Thomas Woodley, President of CJPME, “But such belligerent moves also contradict long-standing Canadian policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict.”  

CJPME is pleased to publish the next of a 15 part election series analyzing the positions of Canada’s political parties. CJPME hopes that, by revealing what parties have said and done on key Middle East issues, Canadians will be better informed voters in the upcoming elections. Our next analysis studies each party’s position on the Israeli colonies also referred to as “settlements”.

CJPME Political Blog, May 19, 2015:  On Sunday May 2, a giant billboard calling to “End [the] Israeli Apartheid and Occupation of Palestine” welcomed commuters on Pat Bay highway traveling between Victoria and Sydney, BC. The billboard was erected on reserve land, home to the Tsawout First Nation. By Monday morning, the billboard contracting company began to receive calls, e-mails and even a letter from a BC MLA to take down the sign. The spokesman for the billboard contracting company announced to sponsoring groups that the Tsawout First Nation, after facing similar pressure, ordered the sign be taken down.

Montreal, April 28, 2014  —CJPME points out the significance of US Vice-President John Kerry’s frank assessment Friday of the implications of Israel’s scuttling of peace talks with the Palestinians. At a closed-door meeting April 25 of the Trilateral Commission, Kerry warned that Israel is running the risk of becoming an “apartheid state” by refusing to negotiate a two-state solution. This is the first time such a high-ranking US official has publicly used the term “apartheid” in reference to Israel. That Kerry has done so is indicative of world leaders’ deep frustration with the Netanyahu administration’s conduct, especially its escalating “settlement” building on Palestinian territory.