Montreal, February 13, 2013  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is extremely concerned that Samer Issawi—a 34-year-old Palestinian on a hunger strike—is near death. Issawi has been on hunger strike for over 200 days to protest his detention by Israeli authorities without charge or trial.  Issawi was one of several hundred Palestinian prisoners released in December 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange. He had been imprisoned since 2002. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), he was arrested again on July 7, 2012 on the basis of an Israeli military order revoking his release. He was initially held at the Moscobiyya Detention Centre where he was interrogated for 28 days, and was denied access to his lawyer for the first 23 days. HRW has urged Israel to either release the prisoners or charge them and try them in processes that meet international human rights standards.

Media – Mustapha Barghouti’s speaking tour with CJPME: In December of 2012, CJPME hosted Palestinian Legislator, Doctor, and Human Rights Activist Mustapha Barghouti on a speaking tour.  In his talks and interviews, Barghouti speaks compellingly about the human rights abuses faced by Palestinians on a daily basis, as well as Palestinian non-violent resistance to Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territories.

CJPME Factsheet 76, published September, 2012: This factsheet looks at the Israel’s colonies, often referred to as “settlements,” in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Colonies have long been one of the major obstacles to peace between Israel and the Palestinians, since successive Israeli governments have permitted the Jewish Israeli colonists to expropriate land and to create “facts on the ground” that would make the creation of a Palestinian state increasingly difficult.

CJPME Factsheet 78, published September, 2012: This factsheet looks at the status and significance of East Jerusalem. After the June 1967 war, Israel announced its intention to annex the 6.5 square kilometers of East Jerusalem, which was to be the capital of a future Palestinian state. To this day, the international community refuses to recognize Israel’s policy of annexation and colonization in East Jerusalem, which are not only illegal under international law, but also detrimental to negotiations.

CJPME Factsheet 155, published May, 2012: In 2012, close to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners partook in an open-ended hunger strike in order to challenge their arbitrary administrative detention as well as the humiliating treatment and conditions to which they were subject to. Approximately 40 percent of Palestinian men in the occupied Palestinian territories have been jailed by Israeli authorities at least once in their lives. Palestinian prisoners are subject to detention without charge or trial, solitary confinement and isolation, prolonged denial of family visits, denial of medical treatment, as well as various forms of humiliation. Compounded by the fact that many of the prisoners are children, such arbitrary detention and inhumane treatment is an issue that resonates deeply with Palestinians.

CJPME Factsheet 142, published November, 2011: For several years, the Russell Tribunal – named after British philosopher Bertrand Russell – toured several countries to examine Israel’s violations of international law.  This factsheet explores the establishment of the tribunal, and provides an overview of its findings.

CJPME Factsheet 130, published July, 2011: This factsheet looks at the Palestinian and Israeli treatment of prisoners. Whereas the 2006 kidnap of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit made international headlines, the world remained silent about the 5,383 Palestinian prisoners detained by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS). Canada, which has ratified several human rights treaties pertaining to arrests, imprisonment and torture, remains silent on the subject of Palestinian prisoners and the conditions of their imprisonment.

CJPME Factsheet 102, published November, 2010: Apologists for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its blockade of Gaza often claim that human rights organizations — including Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) — unfairly single out Israel for criticism. This is false. This factsheet provides an overview of CJPME’s core principles and beliefs, as well as CJPME’ positions vis-à-vis all the actors in the Middle East. Lastly, this factsheet addresses CJPME and other social justice organizations’ legitimate criticism of Israel.

CJPME Factsheet 67, published January, 2010: This factsheet looks at the use of new weapons in illicit ways during the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip codenamed “Cast Lead,” including white phosphorous, drones, flechettes, and tungsten bombs, as well as other lethal weapons. 

CJPME Factsheet 71, published November, 2009: This factsheet looks at the Independent Fact Finding Committee on Gaza headed by John Dugard of South Africa.  The report was commissioned by the Arab League following Israel’s war on Gaza from December 27^th 2008 to 18 January 18^th 2009.