Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan

 

Canadians, shocked by the brutal war in the Middle East, are taking a more active approach to sensitize people about this tragic conflict and are seeking ways to help bring about a just peace.



Several organizations will make presentations during the People Social Forum in Ottawa (Aug. 21 to Aug. 24) to share information about Palestine-Israel. The topics will include labor unions and Palestine,  the Jewish National Fund and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the Gaza blockade, the right to speak freely about the Middle East, the indigenous people of Palestine, the refugees, Palestinians and Israelis working together for peace, Israel’s discriminatory laws based on religion, Islamophobia and civil liberties in Canada.



Participating will be church groups, labor unions, Independent Jewish Voices, Canadians for a Just Peace in the Middle East and Canadian Arab organizations. Individuals are also using social media effectively to spread information about the Middle East that the mainstream media and politicians ignore.



Even in the mainstream media, the situation has changed. Some years ago, journalists and politicians did not dare to say anything that could be construed as critical of Israel. Now the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, as well as the electronic media, have begun to tell both sides of the story.



Israel’s most recent assault on Gaza has spurred fair-minded individuals and organizations to become more active in trying to promote a just peace. Israeli supporters lay the entire blame on Hamas. They totally ignore historical realities - the illegal and cruel expulsion of Palestinians from their homes, Israel’s refusal to let them return, Israel’s laws favoring Jews and discriminating against others, Israel’s flouting of international law and United Nations resolutions, the building of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land, collective punishment on Palestinians, arrests and long detention of innocent people or those suspected of resistance, killing of people by drones and missiles, use of phosphorus and smart bombs against civilians and other atrocities which have been denounced by the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others.



Even some political parties have changed their stance. The president of the Green party had to resign his post after he posted comments defending Israel’s attacks on civilian targets.



The New Democratic party, the official opposition, which had initially supported Israel fully adopted a more balanced policy after protests from its members. It called for a ceasefire, the lifting of Israel’s seven-year blockade of Gaza, and for ending Israeli occupation of Palestinian land while safeguarding its own security.



This put Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau in a bind. Protesters carried placards that said: “Killing children is wrong,” “End the occupation, and “Occupation is a crime”. With the Tory government supporting Israel to woo Jewish support, Trudeau labelled Hamas a terrorist organization but also called for a two-state solution that safeguards the security and independence of both Israel and Palestine.



Independent Jewish Voices also disclosed that terra20, a store in Ottawa that sells healthy products, has agreed not to sell goods produced by illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank - the first Canadian store to remove SodaStream. Terra20 also agreed to include Zatoun Trees for Life under its Savings for Change plan.  Zatoun Trees donates olive trees to Palestinian farmers to replace their trees bulldozed by Israelis.



Terra20’s move was praised by Rabbi David Mivasair of Vancouver, who called it “a great model for everyone.” He said that “terra20 is taking a further step toward tikkun olam, repairing this world that we all share.”



Rev. Brian MacIntosh, executive member of United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine/Israel, an organization of United Church members, congratulated terra20 for removing SodaStream because it is a product that supports occupation and illegal settlements in Palestine.



Norman Williams, ecumenical accompanier in Palestine with the World Council of Churches and member of the United Church, called the decision “courageous and a clear indication of corporate integrity in the pursuit of justice and peace in the Middle East.”



Rev. Frances Deverell, a former president of the Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice, congratulated terra20 for “this important ethical decision to stop supporting a business that operates out of an illegal settlement on the West Bank. With the latest round of repression going on right now in both the West Bank and Gaza, we all need to stand up and make our protest known.”



Eric Schiller, Quaker and former volunteer with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron, West Bank, said that “terra20 deserves enormous support for modeling how a company can be ethnical and principled.” 



Jim Manly, a Christian minister and former member of Parliament, said that “the people of the world must stand with the people of Gaza and demand an end to the blockade, an end to all oppression and an end to military aggression.”



He urged people of the world to refuse to buy Israeli goods, divest investments in companies that support the Israeli occupation of Palestine and push governments to impose sanctions. He spoke for Canadians who support peace in the Middle East with justice and human rights for everyone.

 

— Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant and refugee judge.