October 23, 2005

"Himmelstein: Scrupulous scholar smeared for setting the record straight"

They never bring out the welcome wagon for messengers with bad news, so sparks are likely to fly when a one-man truth squad rolls into Montreal next month.Dr. Norman G. Finkelstein, myth-busting professor of political science at DePaul University in Chicago, will address a McGill University audience on Tuesday, November 8 , at 7:30 PM in the Stewart Biology Building ( 1205 Dr. Penfield).

October 22, 2005

CAIWC PRESS RELEASE - New Coalition Formed to Oppose Sharon's Visit to Toronto, says "Israeli War Criminals Not Welcome"

TORONTO (October 20) - Responding to news that current Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been invited to Toronto to address the United Jewish Communities (UJC) General Assembly on November 14th, a broad grouping of concerned individuals and organizations has come together to form the Coalition Against Israel's War Crimes (CAIWC).

October 21, 2005

Guardian UK - Israel redraws the roadmap, building quietly and quickly

As foreign leaders, including Tony Blair, praised Mr Sharon for his "courage" in pulling out of Gaza last month, Israel was accelerating construction of the West Bank barrier, expropriating more land in the West Bank than it was surrendering in Gaza, and building thousands of new homes in Jewish settlements.

October 20, 2005

Now Toronto - School of hard cops, Board deputants diss chief for taking policing tips from Israel

"Israel is not a neutral state," says Abigail Bakan, a professor at Queen's University and one of many Jewish critics of Israeli policy on the speakers list. "To seek training in Israel is to seek the professional assistance of a state that is grounded in racial profiling and violation of international law."

October 14, 2005

Media Monitors Network - Irwin Cotler is too Israeli to be in Canada's government

Since Israel's "strategic thinking," like the Wall, runs counter to international law, and since Canada predicates its foreign policy on respect for the law, Cotler is acting against the interests of his own country. The same is true of Brian Mulroney and Norman Spector, although fortunately they are no longer in government.

Perhaps more serious than Cotler's advisory position with BESA, is the one he holds with JCPA (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs), which does little more than regurgitate Likudnik propaganda. Among its more outrageous claims is that the demand for a return to the 1967 armistice lines "would undermine Israel's security and even pose an existential threat."

(Amazing how respect for the law can be repackaged as a national threat, isn't it?)

More articles  by Greg Felton

October 14, 2005

United Nations Press Release - UN Representative on Human Rights Defenders End Visit to Israel and the Occupied Territories

I now come to the most serious part of my concerns – the practice and policies adopted as a part of the occupation of Palestinian Territories which result in conditions and an environment which place human rights defenders operating in these areas at grave risk and presents serious obstructions in every aspect of their functioning.

In stark contrast to the relative openness that the Government allows for NGOs based in Israel, the human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories operate under conditions that are absolutely incompatible with international norms and standards of human rights or the principles set forth in the Declaration. The environment is totally non-conducive for human rights defenders to conduct their work with facility or safety.

Restrictions on the freedom of movement by the Wall, closures, checkpoints, roadblocks and other barriers, while affecting the entire population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories also inhibits and obstructs the activities of human rights defenders. I am especially concerned with the situation of field workers engaged with any area of rights who face daily harassment, intimidation and humiliation in the course of conducting their work. Lawyers are consistently denied access to their clients, journalists are obstructed from observing incidents and reporting on human rights violations, humanitarian assistance is impeded, and health professionals are hampered from fulfilling their duty of providing medical assistance and care.

October 13 , 2005

Himmelstein - A Refusal to Disappear

Exiled toddler, refugee camp survivor, retired teacher - Rezeq Faraj won't let Montrealers forget about ethnic cleansing.

October 10 , 2005

Judy Andreas - Opening up Jewish Eyes

And so, I sit in a most unenviable position. I want to open the eyes of my brothers and sisters. I want to help my children learn of the sins of Israel and the important role it plays in the axis of evil....along with the U.S. and Great Britain. I want to alert my loved ones to the dangers of the Zionist behavior and how it is affecting our world. I want to wake up the ordinary Jewish person to the crimes that their leaders have perpetrated and continue to perpetrate. For, at the end of the day, the rank and file Jew is as expendable in the Zionists' grand scheme as the rest of the populace is. There is no safety in tribal banding together. It is only the truth which can set us free.

October 8 , 2005

Counterpunch -  "Free the P":Hip-Hop for Palestine

Last month, the Palestinian-American hip-hop crew The Philistines announced the release of a CD dedicated to the youth of Palestine. The compilation CD, titled "Free the P," brings together over 20 hip-hop and spoken word artists. Its aim is to promote awareness about the Palestinian struggle for freedom while raising funds to support an upcoming documentary film--SlingShot Hip Hop--about hip-hop in Palestine.

October 7 , 2005

EI - Churches speak out on economic pressure as a tool for peace

During the first week of January 2004, Israeli minister of Justice Yosef Lapid warned his country about an international boycott. He told Israeli radio: "There is a very serious risk the World Court (International Court of Justice in the Hague) will rule against us .... and this is liable to prompt the General Assembly into imposing all sorts of sanctions against us".

Despite this, Israel has continued its occupation, including the construction of the Wall and expansion of the settlements in Occupied Palestinian territories. Lapid was right, the voice for economic pressure on Israel is becoming louder, especially from the churches.

October 7 , 2005

Embassy Magazine - Two-State Dynamic Best for Israel, and Canada Can Help, says Professor

The best thing for Israel is to see Palestine emerge as a strong, economically viable state, and Canada can help make that happen, says Asher Susser during a recent stop in Ottawa. Mr. Susser teaches Middle Eastern and African studies at Israel's Tel Aviv University. Late last month he was in Canada for a number of speaking engagements at universities in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. He also met with officials at Foreign Affairs Canada and at the Privy Council Office to update them on the situation in the
Middle East.

October 5 , 2005

CPNO - Protest of Police Chief's visit to Israel shut down

The first speaker, Ken Stone of CCAR, was repeatedly interrupted by the Zionists, who shouted him down and made it literally impossible for him to speak. Morelli only made a token comment asking this to end. But his actions were to reinforce the bullying and aggression because he repeatedly took direction from the Zionist audience members. When the Zionists screamed "off topic" to speakers, Morelli turned to the speaker and said "off topic". When the Zionists shouted "no politics" Morelli parroted "no politics".

October 2, 2005

The Electronic Intifada - B'Nai Brith Attacks the Canada Palestine Film Festival...Again!

Thankfully, increasing numbers of people in Winnipeg, Canada, and around the world (including more and more members of the Jewish community in both Israel and the diaspora, who are saying "Not in My Name" to occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing) ... thankfully, such people are beginning to lose patience with the bullying tactics of Israel's apologists. They are beginning to lose patience with the threats and all-too-common charges of "anti-Semitism" from those, like David Matas, who cannot handle criticism of their favoured State.

 canpalnet-ottawa.org