Discrimination

“Is not the Corona pandemic enough?”, asks a Palestinian Christian who has already spent 72 Easters living under Israeli occupation

samia-reflections

There once was a time in which Christian, Muslim and Jewish Palestinians were neighbours and friends, remembers Samia Khoury. That was before the establishment of Israel in 1948. Since then, Israel has not let anything, even the coronavirus pandemic, get in the way of its ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people. Mrs. Khoury is the former president of the Palestinian YWCA and member of the Beirzeit University Board of Trustees. Read her letter about what Israel is doing this Easter under the cover of the COVID crisis. … (more…)

Israeli government uses Corona crisis to further its political agenda at the expense of its own Palestinian citizens says Mossawa Advocacy Centre Executive Director

doctors without borders

In many Israeli hospitals, Jewish and Palestinian doctors work side by side. Right-wing politicians who oppose the participation of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Knesset (parliament) are more than willing to have Palestinians risk their lives fighting this deadly virus. But the practices of the Israeli government in providing health services to its citizens are highly discriminatory. As guest columnist Suha Salman-Mousa explains, they appear to be guided by a desire to protect Jewish citizens of Israel while mostly ignoring its non-Jewish citizens. Read more...

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Corona has sidelined a cross-Canada debate on how to define and fight anti-Semitism – for now

montreal city council

Up to the beginning of March, a debate had begun in various legislatures in Canada over anti-Semitism and how to fight it. The city councils of Montreal (above), Calgary and Vancouver discussed and declined to adopt a controversial motion which defines anti-Semitism in a way that is aimed to shield Israel from criticism. But those behind the motion have had some successes elsewhere. When the Corona virus crisis abates there is little doubt they will be back to continue their campaign. Why is the motion they are proposing so problematic, and what can be done about it? Read more…

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Gaza nervously waits for the arrival of Corona virus

trudeau corona

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…)

United Church minister calls on Trudeau and Champagne to reconsider their accusation that boycotting Israel is “anti-Semitic”.

steven berube minister

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. ….

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