A somber crowd filled a Parliamentary Hall on Thursday, June 13th for “Palestine Day on the Hill”, organized by the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians (APAC) in Ottawa under the slogan “From Nakba to Genocide”. Representatives of the NDP, Liberal Party of Canada and Green Party voiced their support for the Palestinian people and called for an end to the genocide. Read more.
For the last eight years, APAC has organized a day on Parliament Hill to which members of Canada’s federal parties are invited. It is usually an occasion to showcase Palestinian culture including food, music and dance.
This year, however, the annual event was held in the shadow of Israel’s ongoing murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza – many of them related to Palestinian Canadians living today in Ottawa.
Speakers focused on the necessity of bringing an immediate halt to the ongoing catastrophe. All MP’s who spoke called on the Canadian government to take immediate action to save lives.
In a powerful presentation, APAC board member Waleed Ibrahim focussed on the link between the 1947/48 ethnic cleansing of Gaza and its continuation since October 7th. He drew attention to the role Canada played in 1948 and continues to play today. “The reality is that Israel has powerful western allies that shield it from accountability. Canada is among those allies”, he said.
Speakers in order.
- Amar Afanah, President APAC
- Maha Buhisi, APAC board member, moderator
- Waleed Ibrahim, board member APAC
- Matthew Green MP, NDP, co-host of the event
- Salma Zahid, MP, Chair Canada Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Committe
- Heather MacPherson, MP, NDP
- Jonathan Pednault, MP, Co-Leader, Green Party of Canada
- Dr. Yipeng Ge, Primary Care doctor
- Mohamed-Obey Alshaer, Executive, Palestine Students’ Association, University of Ottawa
- Dr. Nadia Abu Zahra, University of Ottawa
- Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa (video message)
A video of the entire two hour event is available on YouTube here.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 
Peter Larson is the most anti semitic person I have ever known. He hates all Jews and wishes Israel disappears.
Hi Shelly,
Thanks for sharing your views. In fact, you are half right.
I don’t hate all Jews, (or Jews generally).
But I do think that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 was a mistake. It was not fair to the Palestinians and, as it turns out, it is not a good way to protect Jews either.
But if you hate zionists, you hate 97% of all Jews. I am still intending to expose you and you will eventually receive the wrath of Jewish and non Jewish people in Canada. You are a despicable human being and you don’t care but you will soon. I can’t even call you an asshole because you are much worse. Antisemites are the worst people in our society. It is the oldest ethnic hatred. But keep it up. It has been going on for thousands of years. Thankfully you will keep the hatred going. You must be a devotee of Hitler. He annihilated 2/3 of Jews in Europe and hundreds of millions of non Jews. Just think how much more prosperous the world would be if Hitler didn’t exist.but you are a worshiper of a man who also killed hundreds of millions.
israel is the best thing that happened to Jews. Any Jew in the world is guaranteed citizenship. Your love of Palestinians is despicable.9/11 and hundreds of Palestinian terrorist attacks is their fault but you are their hero worshipper. After all they have done so much for society.
If I ever see you again I will punch you in the face so please be aware of my threat.
Dear Mr. Ehrenworth,
Over the last several years, you have used the “comments” section of my blog to express your strong disagreement with my views. Instead of blocking your comments, I have tried to deal with them seriously. I had hoped that by ignoring your frequent ad hominem attacks, I would be able to centre our discussion on the main issues – Israel’s ongoing displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank and its genocidal attack on Gaza.
To no avail, I have repeatedly explained to you that I have no animosity towards Jews and am in no way antisemitic. My criticism is of the State of Israel.
However, your most recent email comment, which in addition to using disgraceful language, ended with a physical threat against me, is unacceptable. Please know that I have reported it to the Ottawa Police Service.
Going forward, your comments will no longer be welcome on my blog and will not appear in the ‘comments” section.
I agree with Dr. Larson. The State of Israel’s barbaric mass killings, maiming, starving, and terrorizing a besieged population in Gaza, maintaining violent oppression in Palestinian areas in the West Bank, and denying Palestinians their right of return are not good ways to protect anyone.
It is notable, that an attempted assassination of a leader in Pennsylvania has attracted more concern than the many attempted (and achieved) assassinations in Palestine and Lebanon. There is also more concern about one or two deaths in Pennsylvania than is shown about thousands pf deaths in Gaza. We need to make our friends and neighbours think about that inconsistency. Biden is now speaking out against violence while sending more bombs to the IDF. Hypocrisy is winning.
Hey Peter
SE is a nut case and his threats should not be taken lightly. You did the right thing to report him to the Ottawa Police Service.