Category: Featured

Free Georges Abdallah

Vancouver activists joined the international movement demanding that the French government free Georges Abdallah. They held a picket on July 14 outside the French consulate to highlight this demand.

After 40 years of unjust imprisonment, French authorities are once again delaying justice for Lebanese communist revolutionary Georges Abdallah!

His next court hearing is July 17 but the French state has repeatedly postponed his release, despite a judge already ordering his freedom in November 2024.

Check out this video of the Vancouver action.

Why I Hate Zionism and Will Never Forgive its Disciples

On June 6, 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and the capital city of Beirut under the guise of destroying the PLO Palestine Liberation Organization. This eventually led to the Sabra and Shatila massacre, which occurred even after PLO forces had left Beirut. Protection of Palestinian civilians had been part of the deal negotiated with the US envoy at the time, Philip Habib, but such US guarantees were not worth the paper they were written on. 

And now history repeats itself in Gaza, except with more brutality and a longer timeline. After 1982, we measured time by whether events happened before or after that Israeli invasion. Now, we measure time by the genocide in Gaza. 

The Western officials that are suddenly finding their “morality” to cover up their complicity are despicable. From the smirking Matthew Miller, who for months defended the Biden government’s actions and now claims he believes “Israel committed war crimes” to the leaders of Canada, France and the UK who promised “concrete action” and have done less than nothing, we say your words are an insult to the Palestinian people. 

Miller claims he was just a “spokesperson for the president, the administration”, similar to the “I was just following orders” excuse. And one Israeli media outlet even went so far last week as to tell us that “Most Israelis are not aware of what is going on in Gaza” due to media censorship.  And these utterings from rats fleeing a sinking ship are equally insulting to all those who have opposed the genocide, many of whom have paid a heavy price for their staunch position. 

To claim that most Israelis are not aware of the genocide in Gaza, when so much of the society is militarized and a large part of the population is involved directly in military operations through the draft and the reserves, is absurd.  

And even for those pro-Zionist figures that have genuinely changed their position after 600 plus days of genocide, we say that we appreciate your support, but we also need an acknowledgement of the harm that you did previously. Because the horror that has been inflicted on the whole Palestinian nation and its collective psyche will take generations to heal.  

This is the third article I have written under the “Why I Hate Zionism…” theme and each one comes from a place of increased bitterness and a hardened heart. We fight each day to maintain some semblance of our sanity and our humanity.  

In my second article in September 2024, I wrote that we never imagined that we would still be witnessing these daily horrors. Now, nine months later, we have nothing left to say to the world. We have used all our words, all our lived experiences, all our wisdom to try and shut down this Israeli monster that is hellbent on humiliation, destruction and death. 

And we have no illusions about who is orchestrating, financing and supporting this horror – successive US regimes, other Western governments and reactionary Arab puppets. When Arab Gulf leaders can promise four trillion dollars to Donald Trump in the blink of an eye but not feed the starving people in Gaza, and when the UAE embassy in “Israel” sends greetings to the genocider while Gaza burns, then we know where they stand. These Arab Zionists are in fact directly financing US military supplies to the Israeli state, paying for the bombs and ammunition that are destroying Palestinian and Lebanese lives and habitat. 

In 1982, Ariel Sharon was held complicit in the Sabra and Shatila massacre. However, he later was “rehabilitated” and went on to become Israeli PM in 2001. And recently many Western commentators want us to believe that what’s happening now is all the fault of Benjamin Netanyahu. He will be the “fall guy” and then we’re expected to accept that Israeli society will now return to some level of respectable behaviour. 

But not this time. Zionism has been exposed in a way that did not happen before; it has been shown as the rotten settler-colonial ideology it always was. And once it is defeated, which it will be, we will not forget nor forgive those who were more than ready to participate in oppressing the Palestinian and Arab peoples for so long. 

In December 2023, two months into the genocide, Rev. Munther Isaac said: “Your charity and your words of shock will not make a difference after all of this… we will not accept your apology after the genocide.”  

And now, those words are more than just part of an inspiring message. They are a cornerstone of our approach going forward (although most of the recent “converts” are not even apologizing!). No excuses, no explanations will ever convince us that there was any logical rationale for complicity in Zionism and its devastating impact on Palestine’s people, environment, national cohesion and dignity. 

(Third article in the “I Hate Zionism…” trilogy by Marion Kawas)
Part I: Why I hate Zionism… and so should you! | Al Mayadeen English
Part II: Why I hate Zionism and its backers more than ever! | Al Mayadeen

Scotiabank Reinvests in Genocide!

Also published in Mondoweiss: After slow divestment, Canada’s Scotiabank quietly reinvests in Israel’s genocide – Mondoweiss

For almost two years, activists in Vancouver and across Canada have been out on the streets demanding that Scotiabank divest completely from Israeli company Elbit Systems. Many sectors became involved in the campaign, from solidarity groups to artists, all to demand an end to this unholy alliance of a big bank with an Israeli arms company actively fueling genocide. 

It’s been a roller-coast ride of two steps forward, one step back. At the end of 2022, Scotiabank’s 1832 Asset Management Fund owned 5% of Elbit Systems worth almost $500 million US. Since then, it gradually divested much of its shares and at the end of September 2024, it was down to just $118 million. 

Like many others, I was encouraged by the strong response from the public, most of whom were horrified when they learnt that their mutual funds or retirement savings might directly be helping to kill Palestinians. There were flash sit-ins inside bank branches, multiple national Days of Action and a highly visible campaign from the arts community that even resulted in the Giller Prize finally dissociating itself from Scotiabank in February 2025. 

Their ‘incremental divestment’ was less dramatic than a complete withdrawal of funding all at one time and allowed the bank to even pretend that their decision was based on ‘investment merit’. This strategy, coupled with the Giller Prize victory, eventually led to less public focus on Scotiabank’s complicity with genocide and war crimes in recent months. 

However, as soon as Scotiabank felt they were no longer under constant scrutiny, they reversed course and started to quietly reinvest in Elbit. As noted by Canada Palestine Association/CPA in a May 9, 2025 statement: “…the last quarter of 2024 brought the news of a shift in their strategy, as they grabbed more Elbit stock which was valued at the time of reporting to be worth $180 million US. However, Elbit share prices have been on an upward trajectory since late January of this year…” 

In fact, 1832 Asset Management’s latest filing for the first quarter of 2025 showed that their Elbit shares were worth $268 million US. This amount actually exceeded the dollar amount of their investment a year ago. Although Elbit stocks are currently dropping, their stock price is still almost double what it was in May of 2024. 

The CPA statement went on to conclude: “Although their partial divestments were noteworthy, this simply proves that we can never have faith in multinational corporations to do the ethical thing. War, death and destruction are good for the bottom line! And even though the protests temporarily affected that bottom line, Scotiabank was able to navigate its way out of the public eye…” 

Divest the Rest! 

But Canadian activists are refusing to be discouraged by this and are regrouping to push the campaign forward with increased momentum. The new website SBFundsGenocide.ca is actively working towards a new day of action on June 14 and are hoping to target as many branches as possible all on the same day. They also just held a nation-wide webinar on May 21 to explain the history of Scotiabank’s complicity, its ups and downs and what needs to happen now.  

Elbit management was quick to brag when releasing its 2024 results that: “The Company has secured significant contracts worldwide, with its advanced technologies achieving major successes and milestones alongside investments in R&D and production infrastructure.” 

However, their financial reports have also noted that “some of Elbit’s operations have experienced disruptions due to supply chain and operational constraints… increase in transportation costs and delays due to factors such as the Houthi movement attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, material and component shortages, limitations imposed by some countries on exports to Israel and attacks on some of Elbit’s global facilities by anti-Israeli organizations.” 

Palestine Action in the UK has shown all of us the way forward with their longevity and consistent direct-action campaigns, no matter the partial victories or the personal costs to their members. Despite arrests, imprisonment and other repressive measures, they have demonstrated that long-term persistence produces results. When we demand complete divestment, we must be ready to fight for that no matter the tactics from Elbit and its investors and no matter how long it takes. 

(New article by Marion Kawas)
Cover photo Michael YC Tseng

The “two-state” solution is a vehicle for normalization! It’s past time to call out the PA!

After 18 months of live-streamed genocide, after 18 months of useless Western “ceasefire” promises, we must be clear on the principles of genuine liberation. We must re-assess our tactics and be sure that our solidarity work is actually advancing the interests of the Palestinian people and working towards a future free of Zionist settler colonialism and US imperial meddling. 

For some time, we have stated that calling for recognition of THE state of Palestine means nothing more than endorsing Oslo, the corrupt PA and the bankrupt two-state solution. However, Norway has aptly proved our point in its recent move of just such a recognition. Norway officials stated:  

‘Norway will continue to support the Palestinian state-building project. We must strengthen the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa, and we must work for the Palestinian Authority to govern in Gaza following a ceasefire and for there to be one Palestinian government. The goal is to achieve a Palestinian state that is politically cohesive, and that derives from the Palestinian Authority,’ said Mr Eide. 

Norway’s official statement also added, while admitting that the two-state solution had achieved nothing for over 30 years: 
“We also note current efforts by key Arab countries to facilitate a process towards a two-state solution by establishing an Arab vision for regional peace. Two decisive aspects of the plan are the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and the normalisation of relations between Arab countries and Israel, including recognition of the state of Israel. We support these Arab countries in their attempt to create a more peaceful Middle East.” 

So should we conclude that the two-state solution will be flaunted and dragged out until all the major Arab countries have normalized with Israel? At which point, it will most likely be dropped in favour of a more “pragmatic” solution?

Let’s be realistic about our politicians and not waste time on calling for hollow, performative gestures that mean nothing even if they were attainable. Enough of emphasizing the defunct and bankrupt “two-state” solution, and calling for recognition of “the (non-existent) Palestinian state” under the no-authority “Palestinian Authority”. (CPA March 2025)
It is past time to call out the PA!

We refuse to be part of any effort to legitimize the bankrupt and collaborationist Palestine Authority PA. The recent speech by Mahmoud Abbas simply showed that the PA is a stooge for the Israeli-US designs in the region. As the PA cannot or will not confront Israeli oppression in its own areas, it has no legitimacy in lecturing other Palestinian resistance groups that are daring to still struggle. 

This is what Abbas said on April 23, 2025 and it is worth noting that his comments reflect the identical sentiment coming from many of the dictatorial Arab regimes.

Highlighting and promoting the “tw0-state” demand is both dangerous and misleading. This flawed strategy does not benefit the long-term interests of the Palestinian people; rather it simply gives cover to the US-Israeli aggression and facilitates the continued dispossession of the Palestinians along with increased normalization.

Those Complicit in Genocide will be held Accountable! 

#IVotePalestine 2025 

As the federal election goes into final week frenzy, here is the wrap-up report for our campaign demanding to know if politicians stand for justice or for genocide. The paucity of progressive and principled clarity in this election cycle was appalling. We sent our questionnaire to all the major parties for their official response and were not surprised that most refused to answer. We were asking multiple tough questions about Zionism, genocide, the sham “terrorist list” and accountability – issues most politicians in Canada are not willing to touch. The noticeable exception was the Communist Party who did send an encouraging response that we highlighted in our third release. 

We should mention the recent position of the NDP, especially in the debates where their leader Jagmeet Singh emphasized that the word genocide must be used to describe what is happening in Gaza. As Yves Engler pointed out: “...the electoral calculation has finally become clear to him and the party. Better late than never and everyone campaigning against genocide deserve praise.” 

We remain skeptical of the NDP’s intentions, and question if their new-found “passion for Palestine” will continue (although we fervently wish it would). In 2019, the NDP sent positive answers to the first #IVotePalestine campaign, and then two months later, Jagmeet Singh proceeded to backtrack in a roundtable with CIJA. 

We stated in the introduction to our 2025 questionnaire: 

“We do not believe that any single election in Canada will substantially change policy on Palestine, but we do see the educational value in bringing these issues to the public and highlighting the overwhelming Canadian complicity in genocide. Yes, go to candidates in your riding and raise these crucial points, but also stay focused on organizing in our communities, on grassroots activism and on stepping up direct action campaigns going forward.” 

On March 21, 2025, even before the election was called, we noted: “Engaging in electoral politics must not mean advocating for watered-down compromised demands. Make our demands count…for Palestine, for return, for liberation.  
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” 

Full info here: Demand to know where politicians stand – for justice or for genocide! – Canada Palestine Association