Open letters and statements to the public from the Canada Palestine Association.
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.… Read more
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.… Read more
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”. … Read more
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.… Read more
BC Government: Stop Profiting off Israeli War Crimes
The British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch is complicit in violations of Palestinian human rights. Despite calls from multiple local organizations for a boycott of Israeli wines, many produced in occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, they continue to be sold in publicly owned BC Liquor Stores.… Read more
We, in the Canada Palestine Association, denounce the British Columbia (B.C.) and Canadian governments for their colonial violence and their callous disregard of indigenous rights. This past week, additional RCMP troops arrived in unceded Wet’suwet’en territory and have since engaged in violent raids on indigenous land defenders; we demand the immediate release of all those arrested, which included journalists and elders. We know that the struggles of the indigenous people of this land and the indigenous people of Palestine have always been against the supremacist settler colonialist project.… Read more
Earlier today, we lost Lee Maracle, an indigenous warrior, a writer, a poet, an activist and a revolutionary. She was strongly internationalist in her perspective and linked the indigenous struggles in Turtle Island to all oppressed peoples of the world. Her longstanding support for the Palestinian people’s struggle against Zionist settler colonialism was an example for all progressive people to follow.… Read more
Check out the 2021 #IVotePalestine campaign, this time being launched by the Canadian BDS Coalition, of which CPA is a member.
Federal Leaders asked where they stand in support of human rights and international law – Canadian BDS Coalition
Groups can endorse the campaign here: Endorse #IVotePalestine – Canadian BDS Coalition and see the list of endorsers to date.
Al Mayadeen news site covers #IVotePalestine campaign in new article.… Read more
Message from Peace Alliance Winnipeg:
“Last Saturday, Hanna Kawas, of the Canada Palestine Association, gave an informative presentation on the struggles of Palestinians for liberation and the obstacles placed in their way by Canada. Unfortunately, the presentation was “zoom-bombed” with pornographic images by people who wished to disrupt the webinar.
We had to cancel the session and restart it to get rid of the people who were trying to prevent Hanna from speaking.… Read more
With great sadness, we have learnt of the passing of long-time CPA member Betty Beeching. Betty and her late husband John were stalwarts of Palestinian activism for many decades, and their East Vancouver living room was the hub of meetings and receptions. The banner in the photo collage was hand-made by Betty for one of our first fund-raising committees, set up after the 1982 Israeli aggression on Lebanon.… Read more
