Gaza Strip same size as Montreal: Canada condones human rights violations Toronto, January 12, 2009 The United Nations Human Rights Council condemned Israel on Monday for its grave violations of human rights in Gaza. The resolution called for an international mission to be dispatched to Gaza. Canada was the only country to vote against the resolution with 33 others countries voting in favour and 13 abstaining. Canada voted against the resolution which called for an immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza strip because it felt it did not make clear that Israel had attacked in response to rockets launched from Gaza into Southern Israel. However the resolution did specify that the launching of the crude rockets against Israeli civilians that resulted in the loss of 4 civilian lives should end, while noting that more than 900 Palestinian had been killed and 4,000 injured as a result of Israel's strikes. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) finds that Canada's position during the War on Gaza has been wholly unsatisfactory and that Canada is complicit in the Gaza massacres by its failure to call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and to hold Israel responsible for its illegal actions in the Strip. The Canadian 'No' vote comes as no surprise considering Canada's recent record of voting at the UN concerning Israel, said CJPME Director, Thomas Woodley. Canada has become one of just a few countries in the world to blindly support Israel regardless of its violations of international law. Canada does this despite the consensus in the international community to condemn Israel for its continued occupation and contraventions of international law. In the last four years the Canadian vote at the UN regarding Israel has largely moved away from support for Palestinian human and humanitarian rights and self-determination. Canada has shifted from Yes votes to Abstentions and No votes, placing Canada firmly in the minority of the international community supporting of Israel and its brutal policies regarding the Occupied Palestinian Territories. CJPME believes that ending the occupation of both the West Bank and Gaza through a negotiated and just solution is the only means by which both peoples can hope to live in peace and with dignity.

About CJPME Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is a non-profit and secular organization bringing together men and women of all backgrounds who labour to see justice and peace take root again in the Middle East. Its mission is to empower decision-makers to view all sides with fairness and to promote the equitable and sustainable development of the region. For more information, please contact Grace Batchoun, 514-745-8491. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East http://ww.cjpme.org The whole or parts of this press release can be reproduced without permission. http://www.cjpme.org/DisplayDocument.aspx?DocumentID=289&SaveMode=0 Spotlight on Israeli carnage in Gaza

January 2009

• Position Paper - Israel’s unacceptable war on Gaza
• Harper position on UN school bombing unacceptable
• Quick Facts on recent Israeli Violence in Gaza
• Express your frustration with the Conservative position on Israel-Gaza
• Express your frustration with the Liberal position on Israel-Gaza
• Call the NDP to go further in their statement on Israel-Gaza
• Express your frustration with the Bloc Quebecois statement on Israel-Gaza