Canada removes report on 2006 death of Canadian peacekeeper

On May 31st, pro-Israel lobby B’nai Brith issued a press release putting NDP MP Megan Leslie under harsh pressure for supporting Halifax Israel Apartheid Week, and for referring to the “illegal occupation” of the Palestinians. CJPME encourages Canadians to let the NDP know of their support for Leslie’s stand on social justice for the Palestinians.

On May 1, the United Church of Canada’s Working Group on Israel/Palestine Policy issued a report recommending that the church boycott Israeli settlement products. The recommendation of the working group will be considered at the church’s “General Council” in August, at which time the church will vote on a resolution concerning the boycott.

On July 2, 2010, the prestigious medical journal Lancet published the abstracts of various new health studies, the product of collaboration between the University of Oslo's Faculty of Medicine and various Palestinian health institutions. Some of the studies revealed significant politically-imposed health problems caused by the assault on Gaza, the Gaza blockade or other conditions imposed on Palestinians.

With the frenzied attack on NDP MP Libby Davies following impolitic comments she made at a June 5th demonstration caught on YouTube, CJPME provides more context regarding the severe criticism faced by NDP MP Libby Davies, and the reactions from the party's leader, Jack Layton.

In the early hours of May 31, Israeli forces attacked an international flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, leaving at least 9 activists dead, and dozens wounded. International reaction was swift.

CJPME helps Canadians understand why the Israeli colonies in the occupied Palestinian territories are so central to a just peace for Palestinians. Israel’s refusal to stop colony construction in East Jerusalem and elsewhere became a major issue in the attempt to start “proximity” talks in the Spring of 2010.

CJPME provides context regarding the CPCCA, its activities and positions. Formed in 2009, the CPCCA is seen by many in Canada as part of a strategy to delegitimize criticism of Israel in Canada by equating it with anti-Semitism.

In 2009 and 2010, the Harper government launched a campaign on federally-funded organizations that gave attention to Palestinian humanitarian and human rights. CJPME sheds light on the government’s strategy of accusing such organizations of being anti-Semitic, or pro-terror, and subsequently withdrawing funding.

In preparation for its May tour with Dr. Barghouti, CJPME provides information about the current Palestinian context and clips for Canadians interested in meeting this Palestinian leader during his tour in Canada. Dr. Barghouti is an articulate Palestinian leader known for a number of important initiatives to advance the well-being and civil rights of Palestinians.

CJPME provides some basic information about the mainstream Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) movement in Canada – a movement which has spread to dozens of universities across Canada. In the Spring of 2010, a campaign of misinformation about IAW emerged as its critics sought to limit IAW use of public university property.

CJPME clarifies UNRWA’s importance for the healthy survival of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, and analyses changes in Canadian government policy toward UNRWA announced in January 2010. Essential reading for CJPME readers interested in sorting the facts about UNRWA from myths used to justify reducing Canada’s commitment to this agency.

CJPME announces the launch of the first leg of a Canada-wide tour of a photo exhibit on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The exhibit, launched in Montreal in January 2010, documents the human impact of the 22-day Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which was already in crisis due to an international blockade.

CJPME makes it easier for Canadians to keep up to date on developments affecting the prospects for peace in the Middle East, and to react appropriately to the biased coverage that Canada’s mainstream media outlets often provide. In CJPME’s Media Centre, Canadians can inform themselves and, with a minimum of effort, let Canadian media outlets know that they want better coverage of these vital issues. Your one-stop information service centre.

CJPME provides Canadians with ready access to key human rights organizations’ reports on Operation Cast Lead—the Israeli assault on Gaza that began December 27, 2008 and ended January 18, 2009. As well, CJPME clarifies the context in which the assault took place. The perspectives provided by UN officials, Palestinians and Israeli war veterans will deepen Canadians’ understanding of this decisive event in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

CJPME provides access to Dr. Norman Finkelstein’s cogent explanation of the stumbling blocks to a comprehensive peace settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. CJPME also provides photos of his cross-Canada tour in October 2009, which reached Canadians in seven different Canadian cities.

CJPME clarifies the essential facts of the Israeli-led blockade of Gaza, as well as its impact on the Palestinians subjected to it, in this set of 10 slides. Residents of Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver will get a sense of just how crowded Gaza is, by comparing the amount of land Gaza’s 1.5 million residents live in with comparable space in the cities Canadians are most familiar with.

CJPME summarizes the essential elements of a more effective Canadian Middle East policy – one that seeks peace and security for all peoples of the Middle East. Focused around 12 priority areas, CJPME’s policy initiative provides principled guidance to Canadian policymakers on a broad range of topics.

In June 2009 CJPME hosted a Canadian tour of Dr. Uri Davis, former Vice-President of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Liberties and a well-known academic. CJPME provides information about the context of Dr. Davis’ visit, and why it is urgent that a dialogue on his ideas and theses take place in Canadian society.

CJPME analyses the legal issues surrounding the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The ROM partnered with the Israeli Antiquities Authority for a six-month exhibit in 2009, ignoring the strong legal arguments of the Palestinian Authority to have Palestinian representation in the exhibit.

CJPME clarifies for Canadians why Al Jazeera English’s (AJE) May 2009 application to the Canadian federal broadcasting regulator for permission to broadcast within Canada should be supported.

In late 2008, former justice minister Irwin Cotler launched a petition calling for international sanctions against Iranian. While avoiding a defence of Iran, CJPME exposes the questionable methodology used by Mr. Cotler to build a flimsy case for a campaign which would have devastating impacts on over 65 million Iranian civilians.

CJPME analyses the Canadian government’s inaction on the recommendations of the Canadian Forces Board of Inquiry February 2008 report into the July 2006 death of a Canadian UN Peacekeeper in Lebanon. CJPME also questions the government’s decision to refuse to back international calls for an independent inquiry into the Israeli forces’ shelling of a UN school sheltering refugees during Israel’s war on Gaza.

CJPME helps Canadians sort fact from fiction about the 22-day Israeli assault on Gaza that began on December 27, 2008. CJPME analyses the Israeli government’s claims concerning both the circumstances preceding the assault and its conduct during the offensive. CJPME clarifies the long-term impact of the assault on Gazans and on the subsequent prospects for peace in the Middle East.

In November, 2008, CJPME hosted a three-city Canadian tour by one of the world’s foremost legal experts on the Israel-Palestine conflict: South African human rights lawyer John Dugard. In this spotlight, CJPME highlights the important role and work of Dugard, who served for several years as UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories.

By hosting Dr. Norman Finkelstein for a three-city Canadian tour in May, 2008, CJPME enables Canadians to examine the context in which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to deepen. In preparation for this tour, CJPME provides examples of Dr. Finkelstein’s writings and thoughts.