Open letters and statements to the public from the Canada Palestine Association.
We were also horrified to see NDP MP Alistair MacGregor attending the press conference on April 17 to launch this flawed B’nai Brith report, which smacks of anti-Palestinian racism. What part of NDP policy was being implemented with his participation? Certainly not the official stand of ending “all trade…with illegal settlements in Israel-Palestine”.
As solidarity organizations with the Palestinian people, we condemn in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli attack on Palestinian worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque on April 5, 2023. We hold the Canadian government and its Western allies, headed by the US, responsible for this atrocity committed by Apartheid Israel. Their unconditional support for Israeli war crimes and their denial of the racist and apartheid nature of the Israeli regime only encourages Israel to continue with its ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinian people; such support also shields Israel from any accountability.
We are certain that all those who are complicit in Israeli war crimes will be held to account, and justice will prevail.
We renew our commitment to support the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation, self-determination, freedom and return.
Canada Palestine Association
International League of Peoples’ Struggle, Canada
Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement (Masar Badil)
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
New Action Alert Letter Campaign:
Tell International Cellars to Stop Profiting off Israeli War Crimes – Action Network
The import and sale of Israeli wines in provincial liquor stores across Canada is a microcosm of how apartheid maintains “business as usual”, despite changing political conditions. The war crimes profiteering from the sale of Israeli products has been tracked for many years in BC by #BoycottIsraeliWine campaigners.
Much of the focus has been on the illegal Israeli settlements, be they in the occupied West Bank or annexed Golan, and on the successive provincial and federal governments complicit in legitimizing this plunder of stolen Palestinian natural resources. However, there is also corporate complicity involving the wine distributors that bring the fruits of colonization to local liquor store shelves.
Most Israeli wine distributed to all of Canada’s four western provinces comes through one Vancouver-based company, International Cellars Inc. They promote wines from the Golan Heights Winery and its joint venture, Galil Mountain Winery, as well as the Teperberg 1870 Winery (which openly shows its vineyards in occupied Palestinian territory on its website). In 2007, they launched several Israeli wines in BC government liquor stores under the condition that there would be a separate “Israeli” section; principal director, Norman Gladstone, stated at the time that the BC Liquor Distribution Board (BCLDB) approached him about the project and were very “supportive”. “Normally, it is up to a company like International Cellars to go into each and every liquor store to get them to sell their wines, but, because the BCLDB is so supportive of this venture, ‘the liquor board is doing an initial introduction to 23 stores and our [International Cellars’] sales staff are going out to get it into more stores as well,’ said Gladstone.”
A look at International Cellars wines from other countries brought forth this gem: one of their partner Chilean wineries is owned by the founder of the Golan Heights Winery, Shimshon Welner. Welner Wines website in its “our story” section, proudly shows photos of Welner with former Israeli leaders including Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.
After seeing the hypocrisy of the BC NDP government last year in rushing to pull Russian liquor products off store shelves in just 2 days, while refusing for 14 years to deal with Israeli apartheid wines, it is clear the BC government always was, and is, a full partner in this travesty. A travesty that spans multiple provincial governments, from the Liberals in 2007 to the Horgan NDP government to the current one under Premier David Eby, all promoting the same policy of enabling Israeli war crimes. And anyone who thought that the NDP would take a different stance once in power was sorely disappointed, even though their official party policy is now committed to end “all trade and economic cooperation with illegal settlements in Israel-Palestine”.
Palestinian activists will continue to highlight and hold accountable all those involved in this infamous chain of war crimes profiteering, who play a part in the dispossession and usurpation of Palestine, its natural resources, and its people. Palestinian blood is on all their hands.
(This statement was also published in Mondoweiss)
Doing the complete apartheid tour!
Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop visited Israel because its a “powerhouse when it comes to innovation”. Along with her visits to tech companies and universities, she had a “lovely chat” with Irwin Cotler and claims to have tasted “authentic Israeli falafel”. Israeli officials noted there should be “concrete steps…to strengthen our tech…collaboration”, further enhancing the Ontario-Israel Memorandum of Understanding MOU launched back in 2005.
Also included was an obligatory visit to AWZ Ventures (based in Toronto and Tel Aviv), which has Stephen Harper as a partner and an advisory board full of former spies. AWZ brags on its website of its “unique partnership” with the Israeli Defense Ministry and manages over $300 million investing in “multi-purpose, defensive technologies with the greatest commercial potential”.
Canada Palestine Association had another busy year of activism in 2022, as the Palestinian solidarity movement in diaspora reflected the new spirit of the Unity Intifada. Here is a list of most of our campaign highlights, along with statements and interviews done throughout the year. We are moved and grateful for all the committed and dedicated activists who show that we will always #StandWithPalestine; solid grassroots organizing is the best answer to the Zionist lobby smear attacks.
Events and Campaigns:
Articles:
Videos, Interviews & Webinars:
CPA Facebook pages:
(all likes are generated organically; on principle, we refuse to pay for ads or for posts promotions)
CPA Facebook groups:
Follow us on Twitter:
BDS Vancouver/Canada Palestine Association (1,375 Followers)
Instagram – cpavancouver (320 followers)
