The tides are slowly turning

Written By Admin CFOS

“At the heart of the problem is the question of what Jesus would have us do concerning current realities in Palestine/Israel…. As followers of Christ, we should model and reflect God’s love for all humanity and reject theologies which justify particularism, racism, domination, and the worship of power.” – Jonathan Kuttab, executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America.

Three Important Petitions

We urge you to sign three important petitions to the House of Commons by New Brunswick MP Jenica Atwin, supporting the human rights of the Palestinian people.

  • Combat Anti-Palestinian racism. Read and sign here. 

  • Remove barriers preventing Palestinian refugees in Gaza from obtaining visas to Canada. Read and sign here. 

  • Demand that the Canada Pension Plan divest from companies complicit in Israeli war crimes. Read and sign here. 

The deadline of September 30 is approaching. If you haven't signed these petitions yet, please do so and encourage others to do so as well. Make sure to confirm your signature by clicking on the email you will receive. 

CRA Decision on the Jewish National Fund Canada

CFOS has written a letter to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), urging it to enact its decision to revoke the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund Canada (JNFC). The ongoing delay led to fears of intense lobbying to reverse the decision even before it could be put into force. The letter is available here. On August 10 the Canada Gazette published the long-anticipated notice. 

The JNFC’s charitable status was revoked because it used donations to fund projects of the Israeli Defense Forces. Canadian charity law prohibits registered charities from supporting foreign militaries. CFOS expresses its gratitude to Independent Jewish Voices for leading the advocacy campaign which resulted in the CRA decision.

United Church of Canada calls for Sanctions on Israel

On August 13, 2024, the United Church of Canada (UCC) called on the Prime Minister to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel, given Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law and its failure to abide by the ruling of the International Court of Justice on July 19 to end the occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories. 

The UCC letter, signed by Michael Blair, General Secretary of the General Council, demands that Canada implement “lawful targeted economic and political sanctions against Israel, as it did during Apartheid in South Africa.” The time has come for this kind of action because “clearly, quiet diplomacy is not working.” Read the letter here.

Act for an Arms Embargo on August 20

The Arms Embargo Now coalition is urging Canadians to keep the pressure on their MPs to end the Canada-Israel arms trade now by joining in a National Day of Action on August 20. They have provided a variety of tools (sample email messages, sample phone call messages, sample social media posts, etc.) for ordinary people to get the message to their MP. Please join!

WCC Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, September 16-22

Each September, the World Council of Churches (WCC) provides the global church with worship and action resources to focus attention on Palestine and Israel.

This year’s focus is Gaza and the scripture theme is: “Whatever you did…you did for me,” based on Matthew 25:35-40. Resource materials will be posted here in the coming weeks.

According to Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC staff, “The situation in Gaza exposes the lowest decline in our shared humanity and our collective total failure to honour life. We need to take decisive action to redeem the little of our humanity that may be left.”  

The Sabeel conference and CFOS-supported delegations

As announced in our last Bulletin, CFOS members and supporters are invited to Sabeel’s Conference “Challenging Religious Extremism,” to be held in Bethlehem and Jerusalem November 17-21. A Pre-Conference Tour will take place in the West Bank and Jerusalem November 11-15. Subsidies are available  to participants who, on their return, are committed to share experiences and insights and to engage in advocacy through speaking at local places of worship, community groups, and other events. More information and registration here. 

Attention all Anglican clergy in the Toronto and Niagara dioceses. You are invited to participate in the Naim Ateek Anglican Delegation Program, a tour to follow the Sabeel Conference mentioned above. Subsidies are available. More information and registration is available here.

Influencing Civil Society project: Sabeel and its sister organizations are engaged in a project called “Influencing Civil Society Influencers.” CFOS has hired a researcher to identify and map Canadian influencers who can be recruited to visit Palestine and, on their return, promote Palestinian culture and the Palestinian cause. For more information and to nominate social media influencers and community leaders, contact CFOS Executive Director Rana Atie, here.

Admin CFOS
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