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.
Palestinians
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
Prominent Palestinian parliamentarian arrested by Israeli military
Khalida Jarrar, elected member of the Palestinian parliament, feminist, and board member of the Palestinian Prisoner Rights organization, ADDAMEER, met our Canadian delegation in November 2014. Two days ago, she was arrested by the IDF for defying a military order to remain in Jericho. A defense campaign has been launched. Learn 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…)
Canadian Jews disagree over Harper, Israel, Palestine, even BDS …
Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is frequently seen on TV as the spokesperson for the Canadian Jewish community. He is ranked as one of the country’s 100 most effective lobbyists by the Hill Times. But some Canadian Jews are uncomfortable with CIJA’s strong pro-Harper, pro Netanyahu politics. One Jewish group has even circulated a public petition inviting Fogel to participate in a discussion on the campaign to boycott Israel (BDS). No response so far…
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 