What’s new in the Amnesty International report on Israel? – a conversation with Michael Bueckart, Vice President of CJPME

Since late last year, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has been offering Canadians a weekly hour long podcast (audio only) on issues related to Israel/Palestine. CTIP spoke to CJPME Vice-President Michael Bueckert about the podcast series and about the most recent edition which focussed on a significant new report by Amnesty International on what it calls Israeli “apartheid”. Read more…

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Why should Canadian taxpayers support ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian Bedouins living in Israel’s Negev desert?
Israeli military used horses, tear gas, stun guns and bulldozers last week to remove Palestinian bedouins from their traditional lands in the south of Israel. Officially it was to allow the Jewish National Fund to plant trees. But it fits into a 74 year process of ethnically cleansing the south of Israel of its non-Jewish citizens. And Canadian taxpayers help fund the exercise. An OFIP webinar on February 16, will examine the issue. Read more….
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In the same week, Canada and Israel both “discover” many apparent graves of missing and murdered indigenous peoples

Evidence of graves of murdered indigenous peoples discovered at St. Joseph Residential school (at left) in British Columbia, and at Tantura in Israel (at right). “Discovered” in quotation marks because in both cases, the families of the victims have been saying for years that the deaths occurred and the graves were there. Nobody listened. Now the truth is coming out….. read more…

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Canada’s largest protestant church takes another cautious step towards a principled critique of Israeli policy toward Palestinians
There are 2700 congregations of the United Church across Canada. In the past, the United Church has taken very strong positions on LGBT rights and on reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians. It has also been cautiously, but increasingly, critical of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. It just took another step toward a principled critique of Israeli policy and practice toward the Palestinians. The Zionist lobby was quick to respond. Read more….
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Jewish American opinion on Israel is changing. Peter Beinart is one of the people leading the change.

A recent New York Times Magazine article discussed how many young American Jews are starting to rethink their views about Zionism and the State of Israel. Peter Beinart, an Orthodox Jew, is one of them. Formerly a well known supporter of the idea of a two state solution, he has changed his mind and has engaged in a public debate with fellow Jewish Americans over the basic idea of a “Jewish State”. CTIP speaks to Beinart about his changing views, and how he approaches a very difficult conversation. Read more.

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