Tag: Canadian Politics, Middle East,

Saudi forces take part in military exercises during a visit by Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah at a military base in Yemen’s southern embattled city of Aden. Photo by Ahmed Farwan/Flickr. One of the most encouraging developments in global affairs right now is China’s mediation of the regional rivalry between

School for street working children, Mazar-e-Shariff, Afghanistan. Photo from Flickr. Since the Biden administration stole $7 billion from the Afghan central bank in February 2022, the United Nations has reported that 95 percent of Afghanistan’s population is not getting enough to eat. 3.5 million children are in need of nutrition

“By failing to call out Israel for breaching international law and violating the human rights of the Palestinian people, Canada is contributing to the problem,” said NDP leader Jagmeet Singh in a recent statement. Image courtesy Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME). Has a leading Canadian

Ayman al-Zawahiri was the second emir of Al Qaeda from June 16, 2011 until he was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan in July 2022. Photo by B.K. Bangash. If you blinked you might have missed it. On August 1 Justin Trudeau tacitly endorsed the CIA’s extrajudicial assassination

Palestinian-Canadian activist Khaled Barakat. Image courtesy Al Mayadeen. The Israel lobby has launched yet another odious and hypocritical attack. They are calling on the federal government to expel Palestinian-Canadian activist Khaled Barakat and criminalize the Canadian branch of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, a registered not-for-profit corporation in Canada

Members of the IDF’s elite Duvdevan Unit during a training exercise. Photo courtesy the Israel Defense Forces. Canada Revenue Agency rules state that “supporting the armed forces of another country is not” charitable. Yet newly released files confirm that the Canadian Zionist Cultural Association (CZCA), a registered charity based in

Arms transfers to Saudi Arabia undermine Canada’s discourse on human rights and are contrary to this country’s international legal obligations. Photo courtesy Saudi Press Agency. On Monday, December 13, the following letter was sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on behalf of more than 50 civil society organizations, including the

Separation wall between Israel and the West Bank near Jerusalem. Photo by Mazur Travel/Shutterstock. The last ten years of my career were spent running Jewish communities as an executive in the Jewish Federation movement across North America—it was a career quite literally bookended by conflict in Israel-Palestine. As the most

Palestinians walk through rubble after Israeli forces struck the Al-Yazji building in the Gaza Strip overnight, Monday, November 13, 2018. Photo by Mohammed Asad. The world is watching as Israel commits open genocidal violence against the Palestinian people and some of the most sacred sites of Islam, such as Al-Aqsa

A Palestinian man looks out over settlements in the occupied West Bank. Photo by Anne Paq/ActiveStills. B’nai Brith Canada (BBC) and its agency, the League for Human Rights, claim to represent the vast majority of Canada’s approximately 330,000 Jews. I don’t think they do—and I can’t believe it’s so. On

The Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv hosted a party with Canadian “lone soldiers” in the Israel Defense Forces on January 16, 2020. Photo from the Embassy of Canada to Israel/Twitter. There’s a Canadian law that makes it illegal for the armed forces of any foreign state to recruit soldiers within

Thousands march through London demanding that the UK recognize Palestine and stop British support for Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank, November 4, 2017. Photo by Alisdare Hickson/Flickr. On September 20, Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis

The first direct El-Al flight to the United Arab Emirates departs Ben Gurion Airport, August 31, 2020. In this photo, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien (right), Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (middle) and a delegation of Israeli officials headed by Meir Ben-Shabbat (left) travel to Abu-Dhabi to advance the Abraham Accord.

Demonstrators holding a Palestinian flag participate in a May Day march, 2017. Photo from Montecruz Foto. On July 7, the activist group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) launched a pledge in which signees committed to oppose Israel’s imminent plans to annex the Palestinian West Bank.

Canadian light armoured vehicles, developed by General Dynamics, move in a convoy in the Wainwright Garrison training area during Exercise Maple Resolve. Photo by Sgt. Jean-Francois Lauzé/Garrison Imaging Petawawa. As many Canadians remain isolated in their homes due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Trudeau government quietly announced it was

Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan meets with Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, December 2019. As parents often warn their children, real friends do not encourage stupid, embarrassing, or life-threatening behaviour. Unfortunately, this aphorism rarely applies to Canada’s foreign policy. Because of our “friend” to the south,

IDF Soldier in the Golan Heights. Photo from Flickr. Last month the Canadian embassy in Tel Aviv held an event to celebrate Canadians fighting in the Israeli military. The embassy invited all 78 Canadians in the IDF to the ambassador’s residence to demonstrate their appreciation. Referring to non-Israelis who join

Prime Minister Trudeau speaks to media about the fatal plane crash in Iran. Still image from YouTube. While the current Liberal government claims to be progressive and in favour of democracy, peace, and a rules-based international order, its actions regarding Iran demonstrate that the primary drivers of Canadian foreign policy

Deputy PM of Canada, Christya Freeland (L), and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo taken from the Twitter account of Benjamin Netanyahu. Canadian activists have compiled a study of Canada’s 2019 voting record at the United Nations on resolutions [see list below] that document and censure Israeli violations of international law.

Supporters of the Stop the JNF Campaign protest the 2016 national conference of the Jewish National Fund in New York City. Photo by Joe Catron. We are beginning to hear more about the varieties of racism that plague our country. However, there is a near virtual absence of any recognition