Palestinians

Europeans meet Palestinian victims in Huwara and condemn illegal settlements as the source of the violence in West Bank. Canada attends, but avoids signing joint press release

NOTE: David da Silva, Canada’s representative to the Palestinian Authority joined the meeting in Huwara along with other diplomats. Good.

But it appears his bosses in Ottawa wouldn’t allow him to sign the joint declaration which clearly said “settler violence is a result of Israels continued settlement activity.” da Silva’s tweet was good, but less clear about who was responsible.

What remains unclear is whether Canada or ANY of those signing the joint press release will take any action against Israel or whether the condemnations will remain devoid of consequence.

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

Canadian justices jump to defend Israel’s “independent judiciary” – but ignore the role of the Israeli Supreme Court in allowing abuses of human rights of Palestinians

Former Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin (l) and former Justice Rosalie Abella (r) are among the over 70 Canadian jurists who have signed a letter warning about the proposed changes limiting the independence of the Israeli judiciary. It is well intentioned, but it misses the mark. It ignores the fact that while the Israeli Supreme Court is vigilant about protecting human rights for Jews, it has been giving cover to more serious ongoing abuses of Palestinian rights. Read more...

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Honest Reporting Canada renews its harassment of CBC over new Israeli documentary revealing 1948 massacre of Palestinians at Tantura village

Honest Reporting Canada renewed its ongoing campaign against the CBC over the holiday break. This time it was an attack on CBC’s Day 6 host Brent Bambury. Bambury interviewed Israeli film maker Alon Schwartz over his disturbing documentary “Tantura” which documents a massacre of Palestinians committed by Zionist forces in 1948 – and the extraordinary efforts made by Israel to suppress and defame the Israeli academic who first exposed it. Read more

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Several Canadian pro-Israel groups express alarm over right wing Israeli extremism

The return of Benjamin Netanyahu and the election of overt racists and homophobes like Ben Gvir (l) and Bezalel Smotrich (r) in Israel has caused concerns among Canada’s traditionally liberal Jewish community. They fear that it represents a real threat to the rights of women, LGBT, and other minorities. But others, including some Jews, point out that for Palestinians, this is just one more step along a road that started in 1948. Read more…

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Joint delegation of Canadian human rights organizations reports on its recent trip to Israel/Palestine: “the situation is getting worse”

During a 17 day trip in October/November, a delegation from three different Canadian human rights organizations travelled the length and breadth of Israel/Palestine. Here Philip Sherwood, (UNJPPI), Peter Larson (OFIP) and Michael Bueckert (CJPME) meet over dinner in Nazareth with Haneen Zoabi, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and a former member of the Knesset. Read more and watch the video trip report.

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