Author: cpaadmin

Whose Interests are you Serving?

By Hanna Kawas. The following message was sent on April 12, 2010 to Manitoba MLA’s regarding a motion condemning Israeli Apartheid Week, to be debated on Thursday Apr. 15th, 2010.

Dear MLA:

It has come to our attention that a private members motion is expected to be introduced in the Manitoba Legislature later this week. This motion will reportedly call for censoring a student activity on campuses called Israel Apartheid Week, and is an attempt to use political office to stifle legitimate debate and criticism of Israeli government policies. A similar motion was already defeated in the House of Commons last month on March 11, as it became obvious to many it was a serious infringement on Palestinian human rights and the right to freedom of expression. We urge you to follow the example in the House of Commons and add your voice to those who said no to such abuse of office and censorship. We thank you and we hope you will take the path of standing up for justice and free speech.

Regards,
Hanna Kawas
Canada Palestine Association

Links to a series of open letters sent to Ontario MPPs, who regrettably did pass such a motion (introduced by MPP Peter Shurman) prior to the one defeated in Ottawa, can be found at www.cpavancouver.org I draw your attention to the questions below that were raised in my response to MPP Shurman, which were never answered. They are just a few of the pivotal points to be considered and answered before entering into any debate and vote, especially if you wish to serve your constituents, humanity and the truth.

  • The Israeli “Law of Return” applies only to Jews (Israelis or not) and does not apply to the twenty percent of Israeli citizens who are non-Jews, mainly Muslims and Christians. Is this law democratic or discriminatory?
  • The “Absentee law” was used to rob the Palestinian people of their land when Israel was established, and now there is confiscation (robbery) of much of the West Bank land for illegal settlements, roads, the separation (Apartheid) wall and Israeli military bases. Are these actions democratic or are they part of the Ten Commandments “Thou shall not steal”?
  • The Jewish National Fund JNF and its affiliates that control 93% of the total area of Israel does not lease or sell to Christian and Muslim Palestinians. Is this the democratic principles you are talking about and how would you describe these practices?
  • What is the name of the Israeli Jewish author who wrote the book “Israel: An Apartheid State” in 1987?
  • Is a state that allows for discrimination against women democratic? See: Invoking Rosa Parks, Haredi Women Move to Back of the Bus http://www.forward.com/articles/13821/
  • A recent poll in the Jerusalem Post found that 50% of “Jewish Israeli schoolchildren” are against equal rights for Arabs, http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170735. Do you think this has to do with their education at home, or school or the Israeli society in general?
  • And finally, I might ask you to give only one quote from any Anti-Apartheid South African leader to prove your assertion that “it is also offensive to the millions of black South Africans oppressed by a racist white regime until the early 1990s”

Easter Appeal to Ms. Cheri DiNovo, Ontario MPP and United Church Minister

By Hanna Kawas.

Let Palestinian Christians Worship this Easter with No Apartheid Passes

I have followed with dismay the role you played, perhaps unwittingly, in the destructive Ontario Legislature motion on Feb. 25, 2010 regarding Israeli Apartheid Week. You were quoted in The Star as saying that the word apartheid is “inflammatory” and ”used inappropriately in the case of Israel”, and that “Apartheid does not help the discussion”.

It was painful to hear these words from a NDP legislator and especially after we knew you are also a United Church Minister.

Last August, the United Church Conference passed a resolution that legitimized Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians (Christians and Muslims), supported the discriminatory nature of Israel and annulled the right of Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land. The resolution 1(g) called for:

”The recognition by the emergent State of Palestine of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state within safe and secure borders.”
This was then followed by a contradictory clause about “equal citizenship rights, protections, privileges and responsibilities for all”, rendered meaningless however by the earlier section.

It is outrageous in the first place to recognize any modern state as a religious entity, which excludes others and makes them feel unwanted. What is more outrageous is to then tell those excluded people they must also recognize their own oppressors. It smacks of a sense of cultural superiority and accordingly racism.

This United Church resolution and then your support for the legislative resolution that intended to silence students on university campuses, who want to explain and raise awareness about the injustices the Palestinian people are facing, are a betrayal of the Palestinians and especially the Christian Palestinians.

We are aware of the bullying role of the Zionist leadership, who forced themselves on the United Church conference at times uninvited. However, we believe that succumbing to such pressure is unethical and unprincipled and does not provide any spiritual or community leadership. Consequently, Zionist officials have openly bragged about their role in influencing church policies (see: http://www.cjc.ca/2009/09/03/the-united-church-conference-a-first-hand-account/).

I do not know if you are aware of the book “The unHoly Land” by Reverend Dr. A.C. Forrest, the former editor of the United Church Observer. You might learn about, Zionism, some of the Zionist slanderous tactics and also about his courage, commitment to the truth, his dedication to humanity and the teachings of his church. Here is a quote from his book: “I have found no way to criticize the policies of the State of Israel, or question the philosophy of political Zionism, or tell my readers what the facts of the Middle East are, and escape slander and libel from the Zionist-Israeli community.”

As a Palestinian Christian who has been the victim of Israeli Apartheid and experienced it first hand, I support the many anti-Apartheid South African leaders who have stated clearly and categorically that Israeli Apartheid is worse than South African Apartheid. A relevant example now is that Palestinian Christians (and Muslims for that matter) are not allowed freedom of worship at their holy places by the Israeli government. Please note the call by Palestinian Christian leaders this Easter to abolish the Israeli permits needed to go to the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem in the article entitled “Palestinians Demand Entry to Jerusalem without permits during the Holy Week of Easter”. http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58203

I challenge you along with your fellow United Church members to do something in solidarity with your Christian brothers and sisters.

Many Palestinian Christians feel incredibly frustrated and betrayed by Canada’s mainstream churches. Many Western Christians will state they are trying to address the church’s history of racism and abuse against Jewish people. But this motivation cannot be used as a convenient smokescreen, which it often is, to participate in the oppression of yet another people, in this case the Palestinians. The guilt of western Christians must not be another burden for the struggling Palestinians to have to bear.

I urge everyone to act now to concretely support the Palestinians, in ways the Palestinians say are important, and to show courage and leadership on this issue. Please do not repeat the mistakes made by Western churches in the horrific oppression of our indigenous sisters and brothers in Canada. This time there is no chance to say you did not comprehend the magnitude of what was unfolding.

History will not be kind – Justice delayed is justice denied!

Hanna Kawas
Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association

Open Reply to Mr. Shurman, Ontario MPP, Regarding “O Canada or O Israel?”

By Hanna Kawas. The following letter was sent to Ontario MPP Peter Shurman (Thornhill), in response to his reply to O Canada or O Israel?

Open Reply to Mr. Shurman, Ontario MPP

I appreciate your courtesy in answering my letter “Is It O Canada or O Israel?”, but I am baffled by your response and your logic. If you are truly concerned for your constituents, you will not hide the truth from them.

Regrettably, as in the debates around your original motion in the Ontario Legislature, you did not substantiate any of your statements in your email. You call for meaningful dialogue that is not prejudicial. I agree that dialogue should not be prejudicial, but I don’t agree that the documented and scientific term “Apartheid” meaning separation is “prejudicial”. However, what is prejudicial is one of the parties believing that they are a superior race and that God gave these superior rights and powers to them. Dialogue should be conducted among equals and with people who believe in equality and human dignity. I also agree with you that this dialogue should not be confined only to campuses, it should include all sectors of the Canadian society, including the Canadian media that does not care to present the Palestinian point of view, nor their suffering nor their “cries of hope”. Have you seen any of the Canadian media report the “cry of hope” of the Christian Palestinians (Dec. 2009) to end the suffering, oppression and occupation of their people?

Perhaps the Ontario legislature should condemn the corporate media for being biased and one-sided towards Israel?!

You repeat in your email that “apartheid is prejudicial to any meaningful dialogue”, that it is “wrong to ascribe such a term to the State of Israel” and that you “reject the use of the word ‘apartheid’ with respect to the democratic State of Israel.” However, again, with no documentation to back your claims.

I tell you, as the victim of Israeli discriminatory polices, Israel is an apartheid state, Israel is not a democracy and exposing Israeli ethnic cleansing and war crimes against the Palestinian people is the duty of every decent human being.

Again I am willing to publicly debate with you and document what I am saying. Are you willing to debate these issues? I offered that in my first open letter, but neither you nor any of the members of the Ontario legislature who voted for your motion responded positively.

Here is a concrete public offer. I am the co-host of the radio show called Voice of Palestine in Vancouver, and we are offering you a segment of 25-30 minutes to explain your position. We broadcast every Tuesday evening for one hour – pick any Tuesday most convenient to you. If you do not feel comfortable with such an interview, we welcome your written response to the questions below and we will publicize them both on the radio and the Internet. Here are some of the questions I would be raising in any interview:

  • The Israeli “Law of Return” applies only to Jews (Israelis or not) and does not apply to the twenty percent of Israeli citizens who are non-Jews, mainly Muslims and Christians. Is this law democratic or discriminatory?
  • The “Absentee law” was used to rob the Palestinian people of their land when Israel was established, and now there is confiscation (robbery) of much of the West Bank land for illegal settlements, roads, the separation (Apartheid) wall and Israeli military bases. Are these actions democratic or are they part of the Ten Commandments “Thou shall not steal”?
  • The Jewish National Fund JNF and its affiliates that control 93% of the total area of Israel does not lease or sell to Christian and Muslim Palestinians. Is this the democratic principles you are talking about and how would you describe these practices?
  • What is the name of the Israeli Jewish author who wrote the book “Israel: An Apartheid State” in 1987?
  • Is a state that allows for discrimination against women democratic? See: Invoking Rosa Parks, Haredi Women Move to Back of the Bus
  • A recent poll in the Jerusalem Post found that 50% of “Jewish Israeli schoolchildren” are against equal rights for Arabs. Do you think this has to do with their education at home, or school or the Israeli society in general?
  • And finally, I might ask you to give only one quote from any Anti-Apartheid South African leader to prove your assertion that “it is also offensive to the millions of black South Africans oppressed by a racist white regime until the early 1990s”

Awaiting your reply,
Hanna Kawas

Subject: RE: Is It “O Canada” or “O Israel”?
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 15:56:01 -0500
From: peter.shurman@pc.ola.org
To: hkawas@msn.com

Thank you for your email regarding the resolution that I presented and debated with my fellow MPPs in the Ontario Legislative Assembly on February 25th.

Please allow me to remind you of two things.

Firstly, my job as the MPP for Thornhill is to take positions on issues that are of importance to my constituents. I would also add that sometimes we will agree and sometimes we won’t.

Secondly, my argument is a simple one, even though others wish to expand upon it further. Simply put, I argue that the use of the term, “apartheid” is prejudicial to any meaningful dialogue before that dialogue even begins. Until all sides are represented in discussions on campuses and elsewhere, it is clear to me that the current starting point is not a level playing field.

Our objection is not to the discussion of the problems in the Middle East; it is that we reject the use of the word “apartheid” with respect to the democratic State of Israel.

The word, “apartheid” is assumptive and declaratory and assumes certain things. It is wrong to ascribe such a term to the State of Israel.
I stand by the resolution and maintain my motivation for bringing it forward.

Peter Shurman MPP (Thornhill)

O Canada or O Israel?

By Hanna Kawas. The following open letter was sent to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario MPPs under the title: Is It “O Canada” or “O Israel”?.

Open Letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty and Ontario MPPs

We learned with concern about the unanimous passing of a motion in the Ontario legislature (30/107 MPPs in attendance) introduced by Progressive Conservative MPP Peter Shurman (Thornhill) on Feb. 25, 2010 to condemn the annual Israel Apartheid Week.

Mr. Shurman was quoted as saying that he wants “the name changed. It’s just wrong” and that his resolution is about “moral suasion”, and that the term apartheid is “close to hate speech…hateful” and “odious”. He says he wants a “respectful” debate much more “constructive” than “slinging slurs”.

Finally he concluded “it is also offensive to the millions of black South Africans oppressed by a racist white regime until the early 1990s”

New Democratic MPP Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale-High Park) also claimed that the word apartheid is “inflammatory” and ”used inappropriately in the case of Israel”. “Apartheid does not help the discussion”, she states.

I would like to note that none of the attacks and slanders against the term “Israeli Apartheid” were substantiated or backed by any logical argument or reason. This has become a trend with the “Israeli Hasbara” (Israel Public Diplomacy) and the pro-Israel lobby where events and people, including Jewish Canadians, are arbitrarily slandered simply for exercising their right to free speech.

I am a Palestinian Christian from the Palestinian city of Bethlehem who survived Israel’s “Original Sin” that uprooted two thirds of the Palestinian people and wiped out over four hundred Palestinian towns and villages from the map of the world in 1947/1948. I am also one of the six million refugees who have been waiting for the past sixty-one years to return to their homes, lands and homeland. I am hurt and outraged at the morally bankrupt resolution of your Legislature. It adds insult to injury.

I challenge any one or more from these “honourable members” of the Ontario Legislature who voted for the resolution to a reasonable and rational debate, at anytime.

In the meantime I just want to tell Mr. Shurman, please do NOT speak in the name of the South African people. In contrast to your unfounded assertion (with no proof) that the term Israeli Apartheid is “offensive to the millions of black South Africans”, let me offer you the facts. The South African peoples and leaders are not offended by the Apartheid comparison, they do support the Palestinian struggle for liberation and if anything is offensive to them, it is those who oppress the Palestinian people (the Israeli regime) and the unquestioning supporters of such ethnic cleansing and war crimes.

To back my statement, I am including some quotes from South African leaders showing what they think of Israeli Apartheid. We are certain that your attempt to speak in the name of South Africans is without legitimacy and we also question if you are fairly representing the majority of Canadians. May you and your colleagues at the Ontario Legislature learn some truth, facts and humility and finally please remember that the Canadian national anthem is “O Canada”, not “O Israel”.

Hanna Kawas
Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association, Vancouver
www.cpavancouver.org

South African leaders on Israel and Apartheid

“But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” (Address by President Nelson Mandela at the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People)
Nelson Mandela

“I’ve been very deeply distressed in my visit to the Holy Land; it reminded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa. I have seen the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from moving about.” (Apartheid in the Holy Land)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“When I hear, ‘that used to be my home’, it is painfully similar to the treatment in South Africa when coloureds had no rights”. (Desmond Tutu Likens Israeli Actions to Apartheid)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

”…Israel came to resemble more and more apartheid South Africa at its zenith – even surpassing its brutality, house demolitions, removal of communities, targeted assassinations, massacres, imprisonment and torture of its opponents, collective punishment and the aggression against neighbouring states.” (Ronnie Kasrils Speech at Israeli Apartheid Week 2009)
Former South African Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils from a speech at Israel Apartheid Week 2009

“But what is interesting is that every black South African that I’ve spoken to who has visited the Palestinian territory has been horrified and has said without hesitation that the system that applies in Palestine is worse.” (Apartheid and Occupation under International Law)
Professor John Dugard, Former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied Palestine

“The horrendous dehumanisation of Black South Africans during the erstwhile Apartheid years is a Sunday picnic, compared with what I saw and what I know is happening to the Palestinian people.” (after his visit to Palestine in 2006)
Willie Madisha, former head of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)

“As someone who lived in apartheid South Africa and who has visited Palestine I say with confidence that Israel is an apartheid state. In fact, I believe that some of Israel’s actions make the actions of South Africa’s apartheid regime appear pale by comparison.” (“Israel is an apartheid state”)
Willie Madisha, in a letter supporting CUPE Ontario’s resolution.

“I say with confidence that Israel is an Apartheid state. The trade union movement must move beyond resolutions, otherwise history will look back on us and spit on our graves.” (South African Unions Rally for Palestine)
Willie Madisha, at a trade union conference held in London, England.

“Indeed, for those of us who lived under South African Apartheid and fought for liberation from it and everything that it represented, Palestine reflects in many ways the unfinished business of our own struggle.” (on Apartheid Wall in A-Ram)
Farid Esack, Writer, Visiting Professor at Harvard and Anti-apartheid Spokesperson

“They support Zionism, a version of global racist domination and apartheid based on the doctrine that Jews are superior to Arabs and therefore have a right to oppress them and occupy their country.” (Address By Sidumo Dlamini)
Current COSATU President, Sidumo Dlamini

Boycott Cactus Club

JANUARY 28, 2015 – ISRAELI WINES NO LONGER APPEAR ON THE CACTUS CLUB… Read more

JANUARY 28, 2015 – ISRAELI WINES NO LONGER APPEAR ON THE CACTUS CLUB DRINK MENU

Don’t Drink with Apartheid, It’ll Surely Ruin your Appetite!

Dear Friends:

Cactus Club, a chain of restaurants in Western Canada, is carrying one of the Galil wines labelled from Israel on its wine list. Despite several attempts to engage with their management on this issue (see letter below), they have not even acknowledged receiving our messages; rather, they have chosen to ignore the human rights principles at stake. We must let Cactus Club know that many of its customers find this offensive and that it will affect our decision to patronize their restaurants. Please phone their head office 604-714-2025, email reception@cactusclubcafe.com and comments@cactusclubcafe.com, or go into one of their restaurants and speak with the manager and express your concerns.

January 6, 2011
Richard Jaffray, President and Ceo, Cactus Club

Dear Sir:

Several of your customers have recently brought it to our attention that you are carrying the ’06 Galil Mountain Red Wine, labelled from Israel. You may not be aware that the Galil Winery is a joint venture with the Golan Heights Winery (http://www.galilmountain.co.il/Home/English), which produces wines from grapes grown on stolen Arab land. In fact, as their name would indicate, some of their wineries are located on occupied Syrian land in the Golan Heights. All of this is in direct contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and stated Canadian policy http://www.international.gc.ca/name-anmo/peace_process-processus_paix/canadian_policy-politique_canadienne.aspx?lang=eng. Nonetheless, the Canadian government has given Israel preferential trading status under the Canada Israel Free Trade Agreement, an agreement that financially enables the Israeli government’s illegal policies and does not even attempt to distinguish products that are from Israeli settlements. As concerned and ethical consumers, however, we cannot wait for the Canadian government to take the lead on this (or for that matter, any other) issue of conscience.

We are urging this change of your company policy, which claims to be committed to education and continuous learning, for two reasons:

First, Palestinian civil society has called for the international community to boycott Israeli products until Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights regarding all occupied Arab lands;

Second, the UN Human Rights Norms for Business, unanimously adopted in 2003, prohibits transnational corporations and other business entities from profiting from violations of international humanitarian law (Art. 3), and also prohibits them from using suppliers who do not respect human rights norms (Art. 4.). Profiting from occupation is immoral and bad business.

Your restaurant is being used to advance an illegal occupation and annexation of the Golan Heights. Even the Israeli peace bloc Gush Shalom includes all the Golan Heights wines on their national boycott list of settlement products, under the heading “A Penny to the settlements is a Penny against Peace” http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/boycott_eng.htm

Your actions are also rewarding Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing and war crimes that are committed daily by the Israeli Government against the Palestinian and other Arab peoples. Many respected human rights groups, including most recently Human Rights Watch, have condemned Israeli government actions in the occupied Palestinian territories as violations of international law and systematic discrimination. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/12/18/israelwest-bank-separate-and-unequal.

We urge you to rethink your wine list selection and we are willing to meet at anytime to talk further about this issue. Please be aware that we take this matter very seriously, and will go forward with a public education campaign if necessary, emphasizing why Israeli occupation and militarism hurts us all.

Thank you.

Yours truly,
Hanna Kawas,
Chair, Canada Palestine Association