Rt. Reverend Linda Nicholls (l), Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Rick Cober Bauman, Executive Director of the Mennonite Central Committee, and Nora Sanders (r), Secretary Gen of the United Church of Canada were among nine signatories of a joint letter to Foreign Affairs minister Francois-Philippe Champagne urging Canada to speak out in defense of international law as Israel threatens to annex more territory in the Occupied West Bank. Read the text of their strong letter… (more…)
Canada was one of the early and principled supporters of the idea of an International Criminal Court. But recently Canada has found a lamentably legalistic reason to undercut the ICC in its investigation of potential Israeli war crimes. See the video interview with Amnesty International Canada General Secretary Alex Neve. Read more…. (more…)
Holocaust Memorial ceremony in Ottawa on April 21st. Canadian Jews remain traumatized by the memory of the 6 million Jews who were deliberately murdered by Nazis. A recent survey of Canadian Jews by the Environics Institute shows the memory of the horrors of the Holocaust looms large in their attachment to the State of Israel. But it also showed some surprising differences between Canadian Jews and their American counterparts. Read more… (more…)
Canada and Gaza have both so far been relatively spared by the Corona virus, although health experts say it’s just a matter of time. Canada faces it with a healthy population and a strong medical system. And Prime Minister Trudeau just announced another $1 billion to face the disease. Gaza is another story. After 12 years of blockade, many of Gaza’s 2 million residents suffer from malnutrition and poor health and its medical system already overwhelmed. But its residents face the future with dark humour. Read the first of our 4 reports on Palestine and the COVID-19 outbreak… (more…)
Reverend Steve Berube of St-Paul’s United Church in Riverview, NB. has been in Palestine several times. In 2018, he frequently visited Ofer Prison where Palestinian children are tried in Israeli courts. He also visited hospitals where other children are being treated as a result of injuries inflicted by Israeli police or military forces. In a painful personal letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Champagne, he explains why boycotting Israel has nothing to do with anti-Semitism and everything to do with human rights. Read his letter (reproduced with permission) here. ….
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 