CPA Statements – Page 12 – Canada Palestine Association

Masterclass in Hypocrisy from Canadian politicians

Send your letter here: Tell BC Government to pull Israeli Apartheid Wines Now! – Action Network

We have been campaigning for years to have illegal Israeli settlement wines pulled off the shelves of publicly owned liquor stores in British Columbia. Successive governments, including the current NDP one, have either ignored or rebuffed our demands to even investigate this situation. We have been told it’s a matter of “consumer choice” or under “federal jurisdiction”. The previous NDP minister responsible for this portfolio, David Eby, flat out refused to meet with us in 2018.

So imagine our shock when in just 2 days, the BC NDP government joined other provinces in putting a “…halt to the importing and sale of Russian liquor products from our BC Liquor Stores and provincial liquor distribution centres”. So it can be done and done quickly, it seems. It just depends on who you are and what political agenda is being served. And clearly, the “consumer choice” argument was nothing but a big lie.

This is just one small concrete example of the stunning hypocrisy displayed by Canadian and Western officials this week. This double standard has not gone unnoticed; social media has been abuzz with multiple comments, pointing out that what is framed as legitimate resistance in one country is labelled terrorism in another. That what determines the response of Western governments, as Palestinian writer Ali Abunimah put it, is a matter of “who we are, not what we do”. That Israeli occupation, oppression and apartheid that has lasted for over 70 years stands unchecked. And that the mass killing and forced starvation of civilians in Yemen goes unnoticed for 7 years, and is continuing in real time, as politicians here show they are capable of swift action within 2 days when it suits their purposes.

This action by the BC (and other provincial governments) is a slap in the face to not only Palestinian-Canadians, but to anyone who cares about the trajectory of political discourse in Canada. Because the message here is clear. International law and the much-touted “rules based order” are not neutral policies that will help the Palestinians and other oppressed peoples achieve their liberation. Activists need to rethink the approach of appealing to politicians’ moral compass, as clearly they don’t have one; their support of Israeli war crimes and apartheid is a conscious choice and we must acknowledge it as such.

Masterclass in Hypocrisy: Yes to pulling Russian liquor, NO to deshelving Israeli apartheid wines – Mondoweiss

Background Info:
Boycott Israeli Wines: New Article and Video
NDP: Your Credibility is on the Line

Is B’nai Brith the new Media Rep for Global Affairs Canada?

On Feb. 11, B’nai Brith Canada issued a statement declaring that Canada had rejected the new Amnesty Int’l report. The statement noted the following: “We are aware of the recent Amnesty Report. Canada rejects the view that Israel’s actions constitute apartheid,” said a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada.

Canadian Jewish News CJN also carried the story and elaborated: “James Wanki, spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, dismissed the report’s claim in a brief statement Feb. 10.

“Canada is a steadfast ally of Israel and a friend of the Palestinian people,” he wrote. “Canada rejects the view that Israel’s actions constitute apartheid.”

Curiously, an online search for any confirmation of this statement turned up empty; no mention of it on Global Affairs Canada website, FB or twitter account. Perhaps it was in a TikTok video?

A closer reading of the B’nai Brith release seemed to indicate that this new Canadian position was relayed verbally (“said a spokesperson”), without detailing when or under what circumstances, while CJN said it came in written form (“he wrote”). So how was this information communicated? Was it in a closed meeting? Is there any written official statement?

The only other reference to this was from Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who reposted the B’nai Brith statement on FB, claiming that “Canada rejects the Amnesty report and we emphatically reject the ridiculous claim that Israeli is an apartheid state”. (MP Housefather is the chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group). B’nai Brith then rushed to retweet Housefather’s repost of their orginial statement.

Canadian Government rejects Amnesty International’s shameful report.#BnaiBrithCanada pic.twitter.com/MQa7ARWl0a
— B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) February 11, 2022

Canada Palestine Association has contacted Global Affairs for clarification. It would not be surprising if Canada has taken such a position; Marc Garneau was very clear on June 11, 2021, when he responded in the House of Commons to Human Rights Watch report on Israeli Apartheid:
“… the position of the Liberal Government is extremely clear on the question of the Apartheid label, we reject it categorically. It is not part of our approach with respect to Israel or the Jewish community…”

However, it is bizarre that a Global Affairs Canada position statement would be released in such a dubious manner. Are we to conclude that B’nai Brith Canada has a new job as Media Relations for Global Affairs Canada, in addition to their media advocacy for apartheid Israel?

Write letter HERE to Canadian government: You can’t keep the lid on Israeli war crimes forever!

Vancouver, Victoria take to the streets for #BoycottIsraeliWines Day of Action

The Day of Action to Boycott Israeli Wines, Don’t Drink with Apartheid on Feb. 5 featured pickets in two major BC cities as well as solidarity selfies from other parts of Canada. This was just the latest round of protests in a campaign that has been ongoing since 2008, and has been “punching above its weight” since its inception.

Since Israeli wines first came on the shelves in BC’s publicly-owned liquor stores, dedicated local activists have carried the Boycott Israeli Wines, Don’t Drink with Apartheid theme forward. A theme that reflects an organic link with the struggle against South African apartheid, as their supporters stood outside some of the exact same stores many years ago calling for a boycott of S. African wines.

The campaign has faced relentless attacks from the Zionist lobby since 2008, with smear attacks and trolling on social media to the tawdry Buycott calls, and even outright intimidation and threats especially in 2016. Through all of this, the campaign has never wavered, and re-emerges with new determination to keep protesting until the BC (and Canadian) government stop profiteering off Israeli war crimes and apartheid.

Victoria Picket Feb. 5, Organized by CAIA Victoria

Vancouver out to say #BoycottIsraeli Wines #EndIsraeliApartheid

Report from Samidoun, one of the groups who cosponsored and participated in the Day of Action: Boycott Israeli Wines! Spirited Vancouver protest calls on public stores to stop selling apartheid products | Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

NDP: Your Credibility is on the Line

The following open letter was sent today to Heather McPherson, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic and cc’d to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and BC Premier John Horgan.

Dear Ms. McPherson:

On December 22, 2021, you issued a statement marking the fifth anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334. As you correctly noted in your statement, that resolution is “binding under international law”, and called for “States to distinguish between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967”.

You went on to state that “New Democrats also urge Canada to end all trade and economic cooperation with illegal settlements in Israel-Palestine.”

Your statement echoed earlier ones from the NDP on this subject of trade with the illegal Israeli settlements. Although such words are commendable, it would be profoundly more impactful if they were backed up with action. Action in areas where the NDP has influence, for example in BC where the NDP government is in power and could take a stand to remove the illicit Israeli settlement wines being carried in publicly owned BC liquor stores.

For almost 14 years, I have been one of many human rights activists in BC that have been campaigning to have successive provincial governments called to task on this issue. We have picketed, we have sent letters, we have done petitions, we have promoted educational sessions; our social media posts highlighting our actions have reached tens of thousands of people. Some of the activists on our pickets were people who stood in front of the exact same liquor stores years ago and called for the boycott of South African apartheid wines. They were an embodiment of the links that bind all oppressed peoples everywhere.

When the NDP took power in the BC legislature in 2017, we were hopeful that there would be a change in policy on stocking these products of war crimes in BC stores. We were disappointed. When the NDP convention in April 2021 passed their resolution committing to end “all trade and economic cooperation with illegal settlements in Israel-Palestine”, it looked encouraging. How could such strong words, such a clear commitment passed by a large majority, not be followed by action to implement one of the most clear-cut cases of illegal settlement trade in Canada. But again, at least to date, we have been disappointed.

A new statement issued last month by over 25 organizations laid out the basic facts:
The Israeli wines carried in BC stores have consistently been linked to the Israeli settlement enterprise. The wines in question are either from the Golan Heights Winery and its joint venture the Galil Winery; or from the Israeli Teperberg Winery, which proudly displays a map on its website showing vineyards in occupied Palestinian territory. According to the progressive Israeli research group “Who Profits”, Teperberg Winery “owns and sources from vineyards in the occupied West Bank, including in the Ezion Bloc settlement and in Mevo Horon.”

And concluded:
Human rights violations are not a valid “consumer choice” – but they are the choice being made every day by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch …The current BC government has recently shown its disregard for the rights of indigenous people, with its violent raids on Wet’suwet’en territory. They need to make a change and respect international law rather than violating it.
From Turtle Island to Palestine, profiting off colonization is a crime!

We call on you, as the NDP Foreign Affairs Critic, to make this issue a priority. Enough has been said, the time is now for concrete steps to show that profiteering off war crimes is unacceptable. In August 2019, a NDP statement regarding the labelling of these illegal Israeli settlement wines concluded: “The NDP will always stand up for what is right, even when others don’t have the courage to do it.”

Where is that courage now to do what is right? Your party’s credibility is on the line.

Sincerely,

Marion Kawas
Member, Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver

CPA 2021 Year in Review

2021 was a busy year for both Canada Palestine Association and BDS Vancouver, as the solidarity movement with Palestine grew in both depth and reach. The diverse base of support and unity for Palestinian rights was evidenced by the thousands of people who took to the streets in Vancouver in May/June to demand accountability from Israel and an end to Canadian complicity in Israeli war crimes. The theme of Canadian complicity ran through many of our 2021 campaigns, from demanding No Criminalization of Palestinian Advocacy by the Canadian government to exposing CBC’s outrageous “language guide” that censors the word Palestine to participating in the #IVotePalestine campaign holding Canadian politicians to account. Prisoner support and Boycott Israel actions were also a big part of our activities; boycott campaigns included Block the Boat rallies against the Israeli Zim shipping line, #BoycottPuma pickets and our signature Boycott Israeli Wines-Don’t Drink with Apartheid that has been calling out the BC government for over a decade on its war crimes profiteering.

We are strong believers in the principles of grassroots organizing and international solidarity, and 2021 showed that groups relying on activism are the heart and soul of the Palestinian solidarity movement. Together we march towards return and liberation!

Events and Campaigns: