Andrew Scheer announced last week that if elected, he would eliminate Canadian support for UNRWA, a United Nations agency that provides assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees. A leaked internal audit alleging mismanagement at the top of UNRWA has given the Israel lobby an excuse to demand ending Canadian funding for the organization. Destroying UNRWA is part of the Trump administration’s plan to compel the Palestinians to accept the so-called “Deal of the Century”. Read more.
Irwin Cotler at the Western Wall in Israeli occupied East Jerusalem. Cotler is the Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and former Canadian Minister of Justice under Paul Martin. For several years he has been actively promoting a “new” definition of anti-Semitism which includes broad protection of Israel from criticism. Some aspects of the definition appear problematic. CTIP asks Mr. Cotler to clarify his views. Read more.
It was all smiles from B’nai Brith president David Mostyn (left) and MP Michael Levitt (right), Chair of the Canada Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group, as Federal Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez released the Federal government’s long awaited anti-racism strategy. But despite their brave faces, Israel’s lobbyists were not able to get criticism of Israel defined as “racism” in the federal document. In fact, Israel is not even mentioned. Read more.
Shaqued Morag, being arrested by Israeli police during a recent demonstration in Jerusalem. In May, she was on a 3 city speaking tour in Canada. Over a hundred concerned Canadian Jews came to hear her speak in Ottawa. Her criticism of the illegal Israeli settlements, and her argument that Israel should end its occupation of the West Bank is popular among many Canadian Jews, but very unpopular in Israel where her organization is regarded as “extreme leftist”. Read more.
Ironic collage by Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem mocks Israel’s practice of declaring “national parks” in Palestinian neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem as a pretext for destroying houses. Read more… (more…)
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 