Montreal, September 27, 2023 — A new report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that Canada’s trade policy with Israel operates as if Israel had already annexed the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT), bolstering Israel’s attempts to annex the territory. Titled “Annexing Palestine Through Trade,” the report shows that through the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA), Canada has been treating all trade with the OPT as if it were “Israeli,” thus violating international law and rewarding Israel’s illegal settlement activity. CJPME’s report demonstrates that CIFTA’s benefits to Palestinians are grossly outweighed by its harms, and urges that the trade deal be suspended until Israel complies with international law.

CJPME Factsheet 176, published July, 2013: While many think of the Jaffa orange as being an Israeli product, the Jaffa orange was a prized output of Palestinian farmers for generations before the state of Israel was founded.  This factsheet examines the history of the Jaffa orange, and the symbolic role it plays today.

CJPME Factsheet 174, published July, 2013: This factsheet examines the importance of fishing to the economy and well-being of Gaza.  After a brief overview of the history of fishing in Gaza, this factsheet looks at the wide-reaching impact of Israel’s blockade on the fishing and people of Gaza.