Canada Palestine Association

Where: across from Temple Sholom (Oak St. between W 56th and 57th Ave)
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept 29, 2013

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is hosting Gilad Shalit in his first visit to Canada. Also in attendance will be the former Conservative minister Stockwell Day. The event will raise funds to develop an area of Canada Park in honour of captive Israeli soldiers, past present and future.

Canada Park is built on land of three Palestinian villages whose inhabitants were driven out in 1967 – Imwas (the biblical Emmaus), Yalu, and Beit Nuba

It was originally funded by Canadians who weren’t told what their money was being used for, but now we have no excuse to say “we didn’t know.”

The JNF has a long and ongoing history of using trees to “greenwash” their part in the dispossession of Palestinians both inside the borders of Israel and from territories that Israel illegally occupies

See more info on the JNF.

Please join us to protest the JNF and its actions: Independent Jewish Voices, Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign, Canada Palestine Association and Gaza’s Ark

Community Discussion and Gathering
Sunday, September 22, 2013
7:00 pm
Tamam Fine Palestinian Cuisine, 2616 East Hastings Street, Vancouver
Facebook page
RSVP required: email boycottapartheid@gmail.com

Join us for an evening of great food, important conversation and community discussion about the current stage of struggle for justice in Palestine.

On September 13, 1993, the Declaration of Principles, popularly known as the Oslo Accords, were signed in Washington, DC, by the Israeli state and the Palestine Liberation Organization. A new era of peace was hailed.

However, the reality of the Oslo accords proved to be much different, as the settler population in the West Bank tripled, thousands of Palestinians were imprisoned in Israeli jails, and the occupation – rather than ending – intensified, with the siege on Gaza, the building of the Apartheid Wall, and thousands of home demolitions.

Hanna Kawas, chair of the Canada Palestine Association and co-host of Voice of Palestine, will speak about the Oslo Accords, and what they meant for Palestinians – and what they mean today as new “negotiations” are pursued.

Please note: Appetizers will be provided! We encourage you also to order from Tamam’s excellent menu. Because we will be hosting at Tamam, it is important to know the number of people who will be attending. Please email us atboycottapartheid@gmail.com to confirm your attendance – thank you!
Organized by Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign, Canada Palestine Association and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

No Canadian “Charity” for the Israeli Military!!
On June 9, the Jewish National Fund JNF Pacific Region is holding its Negev Gala Dinner. Palestinian supporters in Vancouver will be picketing the event to protest not only the JNF’s well-documented racist policies but also this year’s honourees, the “Israel Defense Forces”. It seems the JNF has given up on their attempts at greenwashing their ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and are now openly embracing Israeli military aggression. Lets mark the 65th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba by protesting the JNF and the Canadian government’s refusal to even question the JNF’s charitable status, as revealed in recently released documents.
Come out and add your voice to the protest against the racist JNF and its guest,
proclaimed “war hero” (war criminal) Brig. General Avigdor Kahalani

Stop the JNF!
Sunday, June 9, 4-6 pm
Gather across the street from Schara Tzedeck Synagogue, 3476 Oak St. (at 19th), Vancouver
The program for the picket will be as follows:-
First hour – 4:30 pm: Indigenous Peoples “Gala” with Bannook and Arabic snacks including Mana’eesh made with Palestinian olive oil and zaatar, along with solidarity messages (contrary to the $250 and up ticket for the JNF gala, the only ticket needed for our gala is to support Justice for Palestine)
Second hour – Full Picket, Bring drums and noisemakers

Organized by: Canada Palestine Association

Endorsed by: Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign, Gaza’s Ark, Independent Jewish Voices-Vancouver, Samidoun Prisoner Solidarity Network, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights-UBC
Download leaflet
Join our Facebook Event
The JNF is holding 2013 Negev Gala Dinners across Canada from June 2-Dec. 1st, where Canadian PM Harper will the honouree.

Article by Charlotte Kates in the Vancouver Media Coop on the successful protest against the JNF in Vancouver: Protest greets JNF fundraiser for Israeli apartheid in Vancouver
The article was also published by Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding
Videos of solidarity messages during the June 9 protest against the JNF in Vancouver, from Cynthia Taha, Khaled Barakat, Hanna Kawas, Martha Roth and Nino Pagliccia.
Charlotte Kates’ photos of the protest on Facebook.
John Soos’ pictures of Vancouver Police chatting with an Israeli soldier as they “guard” the JNF dinner Photo 1, Photo2

Video clips from the Protest (Thanks to Jase Tanner)

LIBERATION and RETURN: The Conference of Palestinian Shatat in North America
May 3-5, 2013
Buchanan A Building
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territories, Canada

Join us on Facebook

As we approach our 65th year of exile from our homeland, the need for Palestinians in the shatat (diaspora) to reinvigorate, develop and carry out an effective strategy for our national movement for liberation and return is as urgent as ever. For too long our voices have been excluded and the majority of us have been unrepresented in the decision-making and direction of our movement.

We call on all Palestinian activists, organizers and community members in the shatat to join us in this historical gathering to re-examine our history and build together towards a free future for our people and land by putting an end to Zionist colonization and normalization everywhere throughout the Palestinian and Arab homeland.

Join us to plan, discuss and learn from each other about our homeland and how we can become active participants in reviving our movement. The conference will include facilitated workshops, plenary discussions, conversations, and presentations – it welcomes your participation, your voice, and your active involvement in reclaiming the voice of the shatat.

At a time when Zionist colonization continues its incessant destruction and exploitation of Palestine and our people, our body-politic remains fragmented, with empty, unrepresentative and often corrupt national institutions and leadership, and a clouded vision of how to move forward towards our national aspirations for return and liberation.

This conference aims to work towards: restoring our people’s morale and commitment to our national struggle for return and liberation, reviving our transnational unity and building our national liberation movement despite our geographical dispersion, and overcoming the current impasse of national fragmentation (socio-economic, political, geographic and ideological).

Participation is a right, but also a duty. Conference participants will not only gain knowledge, but are expected to invest time, energy and willingness to collectively and democratically work with fellow Palestinians to re-build and revive our national liberation movement.

Learn more about the conference
Register online for the conference

Conference Program
The Program will include Kevin Neish’s photography of Gaza, Palestine.

Seven keynote panelists for Return and Liberation: Conference of the Palestinian Shatat in North America have been announced by the organizers.

Guidelines for Participation:

Read and support Conference Principles of Unity
Understanding of conference objectives
Commitment to developing and implementing a long-term strategy of our role as Palestinians/Arab in North America for return and liberation
Accountability, transparency and respect for the democratic decision-making process
Actively participate during conference and follow-up
Give direction, purpose, and relevance to our national movement
This conference prioritizes Palestinian and Arab participation

We look forward to seeing you at the conference and working together! Contact the organizing committee at palestinianconference@gmail.com

Statement on The Palestinian Conference