"In this difficult time, though we are all having to adapt to the new conditions we find ourselves in, we are also in many ways having to continue with the reality of daily life. Let’s not forget that, for the Palestinian people, daily life means a regime of racism, military occupation and apartheid. And this brutal system of oppression means that the Palestinian people are facing a myriad of challenges in coping with the devastating impact of Coronavirus."
 

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Call for International Community to Assist Gaza During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the international community and the World Health Organization to pressure Israel to force it to abide by its duties and to allow the entry of the Gaza Strip’s medical needs, especially medical equipment and devices necessary for COVID-19 medical examination. Calls upon the international community and humanitarian organizations to provide aid and assistance to the Gaza Strip’s health sector and to endeavor to supply the needed medical equipment to Gaza hospitals to combat the spread of coronavirus.

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Dispatches From Palestine on COVID-19, Curfews and Mutual Aid

– Marianna Harris

Friends, I am thinking about holy week approaching and Good Friday.  One year for Good Friday we pounded nails into a piece of wood.  One person was very upset by that – it made the death of Christ and his suffering enter into the heart of her being.  She really felt it and the pain upset her.
 
A Jewish friend tells me how painful it was for her as a Jewish person to visit Palestine and to take off her blinders about what is really happening there.
 
I wonder if, during Holy Week or on Good Friday, you might watch the new film, “Gaza Fights for Freedom” (recommended to download vs. stream).  One of its goals is to remove our blinders about the reality of Gaza, how people came to live in Gaza, the blockade on it that has been imposed and the deep yearning.  As well as painting a broad picture, it focuses on the story of Razan Najjar, a young Palestinian woman who was a paramedic killed by the Israeli military despite wearing her medical identification.   In these days when our medical professionals are risking their lives to save others, her compassion, bravery and the consequent suffering of her family are a witness to us all.
 
Blessings as we travel on an uncharted journey through Holy Week to Jerusalem.  

UNJPPI is offering an online digital literacy webinar on April 20th (10am PST 1pm EST)  focusing on social media as a tool for advocacy. The webinar is free. One initiative we will focus on is Kumi Now.  Have a look at Kumi Now website to familiarize yourself with its opportunities for education and advocacy online. Stay tuned for webinar registration details!

The letter from Trudeau asserts that because Palestine is not recognized as a full state, the court has no jurisdiction to pursue investigations. “Trudeau’s letter creates the perfect catch-22,” argues Thomas Woodley, president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME).  “Israel’s disregard for international law makes it impossible for the Palestinians to have a state, while Trudeau argues that until the Palestinians have a state, they cannot enjoy the protections of international law.”  CJPME points out that as of last year, 138 of the 193 member states at the UN have recognized the state of Palestine, and that while Israel has refused to accede to the ICC, Palestine willingly acceded to the authority of the court in 2015.  CJPME also points out that international law – like the Fourth Geneva Convention – is a normative system to protect vulnerable peoples, and that Trudeau’s letter senselessly undermines its honourable intents. Read more from CJPME.

CJPME has printed up over-sized custom sticky notes with a powerful Boycott-Israel warning message. Sign up here to get a FREE packet, and start posting them on merchandise made in Israel or in illegal Israeli colonies (a.k.a. "settlements") sold in local stores. Marking boycotted products in stores was a key step in the boycott of Apartheid South Africa – it can also be a key element in the boycott of Israel. Sign up now to do your part in stopping Israel’s human rights violations.  


Joint Statement: Ontario NDP Must Reject Bill 168

Independant Jewish Voices and other justice organizations voice strong opposition to Bill 168, which aims to officially conflate antisemitism with criticism of Israel.

On February 27th, Bill 168 passed its second reading at Queen’s Park, with full support from both the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and the ONDP. The IHRA definition failed to pass in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver’s city councils. If passed in Ontario, this will be the first time it is adopted by a provincial or territorial government. More from Independent Jewish Voices.
 

Gaza 20/20--Land Day 2020: International Solidarity for Palestinians calls for Economic Sanctions & Military Embargo