Montreal, June 20, 2023 — Below is a letter from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly urging action in response to Israeli actions which amount to the attempted annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Montreal, May 26, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is calling on Members of Parliament to boycott meetings with Israel’s far-right Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who will be visiting Canada next week. Chikli is a far-right extremist and anti-Palestinian racist who has called for the suppression of the Palestinian national identity and has said that annexing the occupied West Bank – explicitly illegal under international law – would be “excellent.” CJPME reiterates its call for Canada to boycott meetings with Israel’s far-right regime, which would send a strong message in support of human rights and international law.

CJPME Factsheet No. 235, published May 2023: This factsheet outlines the Palestinian “Nakba,” or catastrophe, referring to the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine that started with the creation of Israel. It looks at the factors leading up to the Nakba, its ongoing consequences, and how it is commemorated today.

CJPME Factsheet No. 234, published April 2023: This factsheet explains the term "settler terrorism" and how it is enabled by the Israel state. It looks into the impact of settler terrorism on Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. It also looks at Canada's response, or lack thereof, to Israeli policies that prop up settler terrorism. Lastly, it shows an increasing trend of acts of settler terror in the occupied West Bank in the past few years. 

Montreal, March 18, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is appalled by the decision of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly to meet with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen this week. This was the first meeting between Minister Joly and Israel’s far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, which has been in power since the end of 2022. CJPME identifies Cohen as a far-right extremist and annexationist, who has said that Palestinian citizens of Israel can “move to Gaza on a one-way ticket.” According to the readout of the meeting, Minister Joly expressed concerns about violence against Israelis but did not confront Israel on its escalation of violence and oppression against Palestinians. CJPME reiterates its call for Canada to send a strong message in support of human rights and international law by imposing a diplomatic boycott on Israel’s far-right regime.

Montreal, March 9, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has sent a letter to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly urging the imposition of sanctions against Israeli officials in response to their attempted annexation of the occupied West Bank. In recent weeks, Israel has intensified its illegal colonization of the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT), dramatically expanding illegal settlements and moving to restructure its governance over the West Bank in a way that experts say amounts to de jure annexation. CJPME argues that these Israeli actions have crossed a red line, and urges Canada to impose sanctions on the Israeli officials who are responsible, including Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister Smotrich.

Montreal, February 22, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) demands that the Canadian government condemn Israel’s deadly military invasion of Nablus today in the occupied West Bank, which reportedly killed at least 10 Palestinians and injured more than 100. Today’s attack comes less than one month after a similar attack in Jenin which killed 10 Palestinians, including at least three civilians. CJPME argues that international condemnation and sanctions are necessary to hold Israeli officials accountable for these actions, which may amount to war crimes, and to prevent Israel from committing further aggressive acts.

Montreal, January 11, 2023 - Below is a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly requesting an explanation for Canada's vote against a UN resolution to seek an ICJ opinion on the legality of Israel's occupation. "In this critical moment, the UN General Assembly vote provided Canada with a missed opportunity to stand up for its stated principles of international law. By voting instead with Israel and against the resolution for an ICJ opinion, Canada stood by the brutal occupying power – now led by fanatical pro-settler extremists and annexationists – to protect its actions from legal scrutiny." Click here to download the letter as a PDF. 

Montreal, June 7, 2022 — Israeli practices of occupation and discrimination against Palestinians are the “root causes” of last year’s violence, according to the first report by the United Nation’s Commission of Inquiry on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. The UN inquiry found that although both Israel and Palestinian authorities are responsible for human rights violations, Israel nonetheless holds far greater responsibility due to the asymmetrical nature of the occupation and other mechanisms of oppression. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges the Canadian government to publicly welcome the findings of the inquiry and take steps to address the root causes of violence in Palestine.

Montreal, May 16, 2022  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes a new ruling by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirming that “Product of Israel” labels on wine from illegal Israeli settlements are “false,” and that they therefore violate Canadian consumer protection law. This outcome follows a multiple-year legal battle led by David Kattenburg and Dimitri Lascaris, after an original CFIA determination against the labels in 2017 was overturned in an act of political interference by the Canadian government. CJPME urges the Canadian agency to take action against the unlawful products, and for Parliament to move towards ending all trade with illegal settlements.