Today I ask the 330,000 Canadian Jews to think about “repairing the world.” We have to start with examining our role in supporting what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. The progressive world’s gaze is now fixated on opposing settler colonialism, and fighting racism and inequality. It is Jews’ responsibility to force Israel to end its illegal and brutal occupation of Palestinians’ lands.
In July of 2019 Rana Zaman, a Muslim woman of colour originally from Pakistan, was blocked from running for the federal NDP in the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour riding, although she had won the nomination fair and square. Now Zaman is running in the same federal riding again, only this time for the Greens.
After a judge struck down a challenge of the injunction on public gatherings last month, calling the matter “moot,” a non-profit organization is determined to have their day in court. The injunction was used as justification to ticket and arrest demonstrators at a Free Palestine caravan rally in Halifax’s south end.
“Palestine is not just a trend. As Palestine disappears from the news on your phone, Palestine doesn’t disappear. As we speak Israeli settlers are attacking Palestinians, raiding their houses, vandalizing their properties, destroying their graves.” I went to Saturday’s well-attended pro-Palestine rally in Halifax.
Today, Saturday, June 26 at 5pm, an Emergency Rally for Palestine is being held. At Halifax’s Grand Parade Square, Free Palestine Halifax and activists will be calling on the media in Halifax to commit to fair coverage of Palestine and the federal government of Canada to stop selling weapons that are being used to harm and kill Palestinian civilians. We call for the right to self determination, and the right to sovereign rights in a supposed democratic state.
A quick story and some photos of last Wednesday’s vigil in downtown Halifax in remembrance of the Palestinians killed by the Israeli airstrikes. Just to put it on the record.
Judy Haiven: We are at the point that Jewish Canadians have to decide whether or not to be on the right side of history – the side that supports human and civil rights for Palestinians.
Letter: How many more Palestinians should be killed by the Israelis before the Canadian government will speak up against the genocide being committed by the apartheid Israeli state?
Pro-Palestinian activists in Halifax feel pressured to remain silent about Israeli apartheid and suppression of Palestinians in Palestine. Here in Nova Scotia this manifests in the form of intimidating threats they experience while going about their daily business in the city. It is also exemplified in the overly aggressive policing during the Nakba Day car rally last week.
Palestinian American poet’s Lena Khalaf Tuffaha Running Orders was circulating widely on the internet in 2014, when over 2100 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, were killed during Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge.” Sadly nothing much has changed. At least 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, were killed during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza that ended with the May 20 ceasefire.