Montreal, February 22, 2023 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) demands that the Canadian government condemn Israel’s deadly military invasion of Nablus today in the occupied West Bank, which reportedly killed at least 10 Palestinians and injured more than 100. Today’s attack comes less than one month after a similar attack in Jenin which killed 10 Palestinians, including at least three civilians. CJPME argues that international condemnation and sanctions are necessary to hold Israeli officials accountable for these actions, which may amount to war crimes, and to prevent Israel from committing further aggressive acts.
“For the second time within a month, Israeli forces have carried out a massacre in a Palestinian city in broad daylight,” said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME. “Canada must denounce Israel’s actions in the strongest terms, and impose consequences to stop this bloodshed,” added Bueckert. For months, CJPME and other human rights groups have warned that Israel’s government would be prone to this type of indiscriminate and extrajudicial violence directed against large numbers of Palestinian civilians. Past Canadian statements with lukewarm and nonspecific calls for an end to violence have failed to hold the Israeli government to account for its repressive and provocative actions.
As of the latest reporting, today’s military invasion killed at least 10 Palestinians, including two elderly people and a child, and injured at least 100 people with live ammunition and tear gas. Palestinian eyewitnesses have reported that Israeli forces entered a crowded market in the city centre of Nablus and fired indiscriminately, with most injuries to the chest and head. The Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces prevented medical teams from reaching the injured, and at least two journalists were injured by live ammunition. Videos circulating online show Israeli snipers shooting at pedestrians and an Israeli military vehicle driving directly into a crowd of bystanders.
On January 26, Israeli occupation forces killed 10 Palestinians during a military raid in the Jenin refugee camp which was condemned by UN rights experts as a possible war crime. Among those killed were 61-year old Majida Obaid and 2 children, Wasim Amjad Aref Abu Jaes (age 16) and Abdullah Marwan Juma’a Mousa (age 17). A statement by Canadian foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly the following day included a general condemnation of violence against Palestinian civilians, and specifically a reference to “recent events in Jenin,” but did not directly address Israeli actions.
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: Michael Bueckert, VP CJPME: 613-315-7947 or [email protected].
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East www.cjpme.org
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