Boycott The Jim Pattison Group‏

The following is a statement issued by the Canada Palestine Association,… Read more

The following is a statement issued by the Canada Palestine Association, Vancouver.
We hope you support this campaign and will consider endorsing it.
All endorsements should be sent to info@cpavancouver.org and will be noted on our website.
Thank you.

Jim Pattison Supports Israeli Apartheid and Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians

March 9, 2012 – Canada Palestine Association calls on all supporters of the Palestinian peoples struggle to boycott Jim Pattison and his business empire. Jim Pattison, sole owner and CEO of the Jim Pattison Group, is worth $US 5.8 billion (as of March 2011), and was ranked by Forbes as the 3rd wealthiest person in Canada and 173rd in the world. Pattison is a true representative of the 1% Canadian rich who are monopolizing wealth for their personal interests. He is also a reactionary Evangelical Christian Zionist (or as the Israeli media called him, an “Evangelical billionaire”) who has financially supported many right-wing projects, including last year a donation of NIS 10.6 million ($2.9 million) to “Israeli Roots Journey”. This project is run by the group Mibereshit(1), is co-funded by the Israeli state, and has been referred to by some teachers in Israel as “incessant indoctrination”.

Marc Belzberg, who serves as the Chairman of Mibereshit, stated in an article he wrote:

“Our flagship project, Masa Yisraeli – An Israeli Roots Journey, has offered what can aptly be described as a 6-day Birthright-like experience to 60,000 grade 11 students (since 2006).

The project has made such a profound impact on the country that the Israel Defense Forces asked for a parallel program for its officers and commanders in training several years ago and now thousands participate annually.

The Government of Israel – through its Ministries of Education and Defense – is our partner in this undertaking. But it is a huge undertaking – because for every dollar it contributes – we need to raise two more. We are deeply indebted to the Jim Pattison Foundation, United Israel Appeal of Canada(2) (our emphasis), The Genesis Philanthropy Group, The Claims Conference and Friends of the IDF, whose support has seeded and helped keep this initiative afloat.”

We urge all our supporters locally and overseas to expose Jim Pattison’s complicity in Israeli apartheid, ethnic cleansing and war crimes against the indigenous Palestinian people. Boycott all divisions and outlets(3) of the enormous and global Jim Pattison group, which boasts 455 locations world wide. Join us by endorsing this campaign and sending the message that oppression of the Palestinian people will not be tolerated!!

Footnotes:

1. Mibereshit was originally set up by Rabbi Moti Elon who no longer holds a position with the group and was charged in Oct. 2011with sex crimes.
2. Federation CJA is responsible for “allocations through United Israel Appeal Federations Canada (UIAFC) to Israel”, and all donations to Federation CJA are tax-deductible in full.
3. Car dealerships; Food companies including Canfisco, Buy-Low Foods, SunRype and Overwaitea Food Group (Save-On-Foods and PriceSmart Foods); Entertainment companies; Export and Financial companies including Westshore Terminals, Real Estate Group and Great Pacific Capital; Pattison Outdoor Advertising including billboard advertising; and the Broadcast Group which includes 29 FM stations and three “independent” television stations in western Canada.
——————-
Group Endorsers:

Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians, Montreal
American Muslims of Puget Sound, Washington, USA
Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation, Victoria, BC
BDS South Africa
Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign (BIAC), Vancouver
Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within, Israel
Canada Palestine Association, Halifax
Canadian Boat to Gaza
Canadian Palestinian Foundation of Quebec (CPFQ), Montreal
Code Pink Women for Peace, Lower Mainland, BC
One Democratic State Group (ODSG), Gaza, Palestine
Palestine House, Toronto
Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU), Montreal
Palestinian Association of Hamilton
Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel
(PSCABI), Gaza, Palestine
Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, West Bank, Palestine
Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), Carleton University, Ottawa
US Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI)
Voice of Palestine, Canada

Individual Endorsers (groups listed for identification only):

Amir M. Maasoumi, Montreal
Andrew Phillips
Annette Wegiel, Vancouver
Betty Beeching
Donald Patterson, Montreal
Edwin Daniel, Victoria.
Genevieve delmas Patterson, Montreal
Ingmar Lee, Denny Island, BC
Jeff Siddiqui, Puget Sound, Washington
Joanna Zilsel, Gibsons, BC
John Beeching
Judith Deutsch, Member of Science for Peace and Independent Jewish Voices, Toronto
Kevin Neish
Lisa Barrett, Vancouver
Marwan Marwan, Port Moody, BC
Mazin Qumsiyeh, Professor, Bethlehem, Al-Quds, and Birzeit Universities, Palestine
Randa Farah, Associate Professor, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
Nicolas Sayegh, Montreal
Richard Bevis, Vancouver
Robert McInnes, Victoria, BC.
Roger Lagassé
Smadar Carmon, Toronto
Stefa Shaler,Vancouver
Wael Ghuneim

Vancouver VIGIL for Khader Adnan-Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike

Thursday, Feb. 16, 5:00pm until 6:30pm
CBC building, 700 Hamilton St, Vancouver,… Read more

Thursday, Feb. 16, 5:00pm until 6:30pm
CBC building, 700 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC

Join us for a VIGIL and PROTEST for Khader Adnan, Palestinian prisoner on the 61st day of his Hunger Strike, protesting his arbitrary detention without charge. We will stand outside the CBC building to highlight Khader Adnan’s invisibility – and the invisibility of the Palestinian voice – on CBC and in Canadian media.

This vigil comes in response to an urgent call for international solidarity from Randa Adnan, Khader Adnan’s wife, and Jihad Adnan, Khader Adnan’s father. Khader Adnan is a Palestinian political activist, baker, husband and father who is being held in administrative detention by the Israeli occupation military forces. Administrative detention is detention without charge, based only on secret evidence, indefinitely renewable by military judges.

His hunger strike has now lasted 61 days. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for Khader Adnan to be charged or released. Thousands of people around the world have called for his release. In Palestine, dozens have been injured as protests calling for his release were attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Despite these calls, an Israeli military appeal upheld Khader’s administrative detention on Monday. He has still not been – and will not be – charged with any crime. Khader Adnan is demanding the end of administrative detention in Palestine.

And here in Canada, Khader Adnan’s case has been missing from the Canadian media – ignored and silenced – while the Harper government parades its unconditional support of Israel (and its illegal settlements, land confiscation, and detention without charge).

Khader Adnan has been on hunger strike since December 17, 2011, when he was seized from his home in Arraba outside Jenin in the occupied West Bank of Palestine by Israeli soldiers Before entering his house, soldiers used the driver that takes Khader’s father to the vegetable market, Mohammad Mustafa, as a human shield by forcing him to knock on the door of the house and call out Khader’s name while blindfolded. Khader Adnan was tortured and abused – and has never been charged with any crime.

For more information on Khader’s case: http://samidoun.ca/2012/02/urgent-heed-randa-adnans-call-military-court-rejects-khader-adnans-appeal-in-de-facto-death-sentence/

Join Facebook event

Palestinian Committee’s Call to Support Voice of Palestine‏

The Palestinian Committee of the Canada Palestine Association (CPA) extends… Read more

The Palestinian Committee of the Canada Palestine Association (CPA) extends its full support to the Voice of Palestine (VOP) Collective in its endeavors to pass a resolution at Coop Radio in support of the NCRA resolution that called for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. We also support the VOP statements, including Coop Radio places itself on the wrong side of history and Support for Palestine is Support for BDS‏.

We call on Coop Radio members and programmers, and all progressive organizations in Canada and across the world, to endorse our call.

To endorse this position, please email us at info@cpavancouver.org

In Solidarity
Nadine Kallas
Chairperson, Palestinian Committee
CPA

The Campaign to End the Blockade of Gaza – Canada’s Role

The Campaign to End the Blockade of Gaza – Canada’s Role

Vancouver… Read more

The Campaign to End the Blockade of Gaza – Canada’s Role

Vancouver event

Please join us to hear
Ehab Lotayef give his firsthand account of the Freedom Waves to Gaza which took place in November, when Irish and Canadian boats tried to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
A poet and activist from Montreal, Lotayef was on board the Canadian boat, the Tahrir, when it was seized by the Israeli navy in international waters. Freedom Waves is part of an ongoing global solidarity movement challenging the blockade of Gaza and working for the freedom for Palestine.
Introduction by Libby Davies

When: Saturday Feb 18th 7pm
Where: Alice McKay room
Vancouver Public Library
350 West Georgia

admission free
This talk is part of national tour organized by the Canadian Boat to Gaza and sponsored by Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canadian Arab Federation, Canadian Peace Alliance, The Council of Canadians and Independent Jewish Voices

Organized by the Vancouver Committee of the Canadian Boat to Gaza
Contact: 778-­870-­2448

Local endorsers: ADALA- the Canadian Arab Justice Committee, Alex Atamanenko, Boycott Israeli Apartheid Committee, Building Bridges, Canadian Palestine Association, CanPalNet, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, Stopwar, The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Unitarian Church – Social Justice Committee, Vancouver District Labour Council, Westcoast Sheen, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, World Peace Forum

For events in Nanaimo and Victoria, please visit calender of events on Canadian Boat to Gaza website.