CJPME Political Blog, Oct 26, 2016

The appearance of B’Tselem Director Hagai El-Ad at the UN last week caused a healthy furor.  While European and other politicians supported his testimony, Israel’s right-wing leaders went so far as to accuse El-Ad of treason.  Yet this tiny Israeli human rights organization did what international diplomacy has failed to do for years: it held Israel to account – just briefly – for important violations of international law. 

By Peter Lake, published on March 6, 2016

Re: Pro-Israel policy right, by Mike Fegelman, Feb. 25.

Mike Fegelman of the ironically titled pro-Israeli organization Honest Reporting, states in his letter that “…the land (of Palestine) was controlled by various entities throughout time; it was never controlled or taken from the Palestinians.”

He refers to governance, not ownership of land.

The land was, indeed, part of the Ottoman Empire and later, a mandate of the British. Neither of these “entities” engaged in ethnic cleansing or colonization of the Palestinians.

During that time, at least as far back as the publishing of my family’s 1695 atlas, it was known as Palestine.

When the UN gave Israel control of part of Palestine, Israeli militias forked over 700,000 of the indigenous population from their homes and lands, more than half of these before any of the surrounding Arab states mobilized to try to intervene.

To use the fact that Palestine was never independent as a justification for the theft of land is abhorrent.

Documentation declassified by the U.K. and Israel in the ’80s confirmed this and provided material for the correction of the former myth of “a land without a people for a people without a land.”

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 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 93, published July, 2010: Since many factors are making the two-state solution seem increasingly unlikely, this factsheet looks at the possible alternatives or outcomes should peace negotiations fail. John J. Mearsheimer, a renown author and professor of political science at University of Chicago, believes that a two-state solution would be the best outcome for both the Israelis and Palestinians, but fears that time is running out for a viable two-state resolution. Barring a two-state solution, Mearsheimer hypothesizes that there are only three possible alternatives: a democratic, bi-national state, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid.

CJPME Factsheet 89, published July, 2010: This factsheet looks at the water situation in Israel and Palestine. Today, Israeli citizens have unlimited running water year-round while hundreds of thousands of Palestinians suffer from water shortages through the hottest months of summer. Given these shortages drastically affect Palestinians’ health and economic well-being, this factsheet looks at Israeli water policies and practices vis-à-vis Palestinians, the difference in Israeli-Palestinian water consumption, the impact of Israel’s assault on Gaza (2008-2009) had in water infrastructure and sanitation services, and whether water Israeli practices and policies violate international law.

CJPME Factsheet 44, published August 2008: This factsheet provides an overview of the case of the Palestinian village of Bil'in, located in the Israeli occupied Palestinian Territories. Because of a persistent, disciplined and peaceful resistance campaign, Bil’in been able to win some minor though significant victories over Israel’s regime of occupation: by attracting international attention, winning against the Israeli Supreme Court in 2007 and by launching a lawsuit against two Montreal companies.  

CJPME Factsheet 36, published May, 2008: Immediately following the 1967 War Israel’s leaders took a conscious decision to retain Control of the West Bank and Gaza using “security” as justification.  That decision – illegal under international law – was taken despite advice from Israeli Foreign Ministry legal counsel, Theodor Meron, that “Civilian settlement in the administered territories contravenes the explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva…  The prohibition is categorical and is not conditioned on the motives or purposes of the transfer and is aimed at preventing colonization of conquered territory by citizens of the conquering state.” Ongoing Israeli colonization of the West Bank and Gaza, flowing from that initial illegal decision, has been a major contributing factor to friction and violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The failure by Israel, the occupying power, to assume its legal responsibilities for the indigenous people of the West Bank and Gaza, as required by international law, has spawned a range of abuses justified in the name of security or public safety.

CJPME Factsheet 20, published January, 2007: Resolution 242 was passed by the UN Security Council in November, 1967, following a war in June of 1967 between Israel and its neighbours.  During that war, Israel invaded and occupied Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, territory held by or belonging to Egypt.  Israel also invaded and occupied the Golan Heights, territory belonging to Syria.  Finally, Israel also invaded and occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territory controlled by Jordan at the time.  Since 1967, Israel has only relinquished the Sinai Penninsula, doing so in 1978 following a peace accord with Egypt.