Senior UN official Chris Gunness was sharply critical of the Canadian government this week over its refusal to give humanitarian aid to starving Palestinian refugees trapped in Yarmouk, Syria. Read more.
Expulsions
67 years ago today – The Deir Yassin massacre, a key to the creation of Israel
Of all the ethnic cleansing operations carried out by Jewish militias during the creation of the State of Israel, the massacre of over 100 Palestinians in the village of Deir Yassin on April 9th, 1948 was probably one of the most significant. Why? Read more
A Canadian diplomatic pioneer in the Middle East: Michael Shenstone
Michael Shenstone joined External Affairs in 1952 and within a year, was sent off to Lebanon to learn Arabic. He eventually rose to be Canadian ambassador to several mid-east countries. He retired from the foreign service 40 years later. He continues to be a strong advocate for fairness towards the Palestinians and for balance in Canada’s relations with Israel and the Arab world. “A stance”, he notes wryly, “that, until recently, was central to Canada’s policy.” – Read my interview here. (more…)
Israel’s destruction of Palestinian homes and villages: when will it end?
Jaffa 1948. Thousands of Palestinian homes were destroyed by the Jewish Irgun militia starting in 1947, well before the declaration of the State of Israel. This was just the start of 65 years of destruction. To learn more, you are invited to join in a free, web-based seminar…. (more…)
Remains of destroyed Palestinian villages found under Israeli tourist sites in the Galilee
No, this is not western USA. This “tower and stockade” is a popular museum at Nir David in the Galilee. Visitors are shown how, beginning in 1936, Jewish immigrants formed a kibbutz on land taken from Palestinians and constructed a fort to protect themselves from attacks by displaced farmers.
In November 2014, a group of Canadians spent a day with journalist Jonathan Cook, exploring the Galilee. Our objective was to study history – specifically to learn about the process by which Jewish militias had taken over one of the richest agricultural areas of Palestine. You can follow along with our 25 minute documentary. (more…)
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 