A Cry for Home e-update 

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July 2020  Issue No. 9

“This virus proves that we are all one, equally threatened by coronavirus. Israel and this situation need to change. We must live together in peace, working together for everyone’s well-being—Israeli and Palestinian—Jews, Muslims and Christians. There is no security in Israel unless there is also security in Palestine. The new name of the game is inclusivity and equality.”  

Zoughbi AlZoughbi, Director of Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center

Advocacy work on Palestine and Israel

Zoom meeting with Conservative MPs, Dave Epp and Mike Lake, top to bottom, left to right: James and Joan Alty (MCC Reps in Palestine and Israel), Leona Lortie (Public Engagement & Advocacy Coordinator, MCC Ottawa), Bekah Sears (Policy Analyst, MCC Ottawa), Orlando Vasquez (MCC Alberta Program Director), MP Mike Lake (Critic for International Development), MP Dave Epp (Deputy Critic for Foreign Affairs) and Hollie Fischer (Mike Lake's staff representative).

2020 has been an uncertain and chaotic year, and we’re only halfway there. Yet, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the essential advocacy work on Palestine and Israel continues. Here are some of the activities underway so far:

Advocacy is strengthened through working together. We continue to develop working relationships and joint work with other Canadian civil society organizations and actors, including Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), Kairos Canada, the United Church of Canada (UCC), Michael Lynk, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and others, through joint events and collaborative work.

We have engaged with Canadian MPs, both in person and during the pandemic on zoom. In February, MCC joined with colleagues from Kairos Canada, the UCC, IJV, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and others, meeting with multiple MPs, as a first step to engage with the newly formed Parliament.

In June, when due to physical distancing only zoom meetings were possible, MCC Ottawa staff, MCC’s Representatives in Palestine and Israel, James and Joan Alty, and several MCC advocacy staff from different regions in Canada, met virtually with multiple MPs, calling for Canada to strongly speak out on Israel’s annexation plans.

Finally, MCC, often with others, and sometimes independently, has continued to engage with the Canadian government through open letters, including:

• February 13, 2020: A letter to Prime Minister Trudeau calling for the Canadian government to firmly reject the US “Peace to Prosperity Plan” (see also en francais)
• April 15, 2020: A letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Gould, Minister Champagne and Minister Mendicino, calling for Canadian global humanitarian support for Covid-19 to focus on the most vulnerable populations, including residents of Gaza (see also en francais)
• May 7, 2020: A letter with the United Church of Canada and the Nobel Women’s Initiative to Minister Champagne calling for Canada to repeal unilateral sanctions on areas most vulnerable, and instead allow for greater humanitarian support, including in Gaza
• May 15, 2020: A letter with 8 other church denominations and church-based agencies to Minister Champagne calling for Canada to uphold International Law and condemn the Government of Israel’s annexation plans (see also en francais)
• June 23, 2020: A call for Canadian MPs to publicly sign a Pledge opposing Israel’s annexation plans, hosted by Canadians for a Just Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and supported by MCC, Independent Jewish Voices, United Church of Canada, the Canadian Labour Congress and others

Canadian MP Pledge to Oppose the Israeli Annexation  

The Safi family is pictured at their apartment in Kufr Aqab, East Jerusalem, from left, Osama (11), Nebal, Khalil, Sarah (17) and Tarek (21). Baby Guevara, 10 months, is held by Khalil; the family is often separated by politics and the wall. (MCC photo/Meghan Mast, 2017)

“We urge [all churches] to say no to injustice of any illegal political move and building for a future of equality on this land between all the peoples.” Kairos Palestine statement regarding annexation plans.

In these challenging times of COVID-19, we must continue to speak into ongoing and systemic issues of justice and human dignity. In Palestine and Israel, on top of the debilitating challenges of the pandemic, the new Israeli unity government has promised to move forward with plans to annex significant parts of the Occupied Palestinian territories, with a vote in the Knesset as early as July 1, 2020. Annexation is not only a clear violation of International Law concerning forced annexation, of which Canada is a party, but it puts the prospects of a just and sustainable peace in even greater jeopardy. MCC’s partners in Palestine and Israel have reached out and asked for support from Canadian churches and our government.

The Canadian government has essentially remained silent on Israel’s annexation plans with the exception of a few vague statements of concern, lacking a formal condemnation or promise of future actions. This is in direct contrast to Canada’s outspoken and clear message on Russia’s annexation of Crimea, including in a statement from the Foreign Affairs Minister on the 6th anniversary of this annexation on March 16, 2020. Canada’s silence is also in stark contrast to the European Union’s clear position regarding Israel’s proposed annexation.MCC joins Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), the United Church of Canada (UCC), the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), and several regional Mennonite Church Canada working groups, calling for Canadian Members of Parliament to sign a pledge publicly declaring their opposition to the Israeli government's annexation plans, stating:

As a Member of Parliament, I understand that Canada has a responsibility to stand up for international law and human rights. For this reason, the Canadian government must show meaningful opposition to the annexation plans recently announced by Israeli leaders. I call on the Canadian government to consider all reasonable diplomatic and economic options to stop annexation and prompt Israeli compliance with international law.

This pledge is not “for” or “against” any political ideology or party, but rather a pledge in support of international law, and peace, justice and human development in Palestine and Israel.

Our choices define us as people and nations. It is our prayer that Canada will choose to be a nation that does not remain silent in the face of illegal actions but will work alongside other nations to uphold international law and human dignity.

See the advocacy tool here and join us in sending a message to your MP, asking them to sign the pledge.

Bethlehem and COVID-19

Bethlehem, West Bank. (MCC photo/Elizabeth Kessler, 2017)

“Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie” is no longer just a Christmas carol. It is now the daily experience of all Bethlehemites. An eerie stillness has descended on Bethlehem and the surrounding towns. Virtually every public and private gathering place has been closed on the orders of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Covid-19 was first discovered in the West Bank when seven employees of Beit Jala’s Angel Hotel were found to be infected on March 5, 2020—and suddenly, Palestinian life under Israeli military occupation became more difficult. Israel’s Minister of Defense ordered a quarantine of Bethlehem, and the PA moved decisively to contain the virus by declaring a state of emergency for the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip.

To learn more about how Bethlehemites are coping with COVID-19, Israel’s closure and the PA’s state of emergency, Paul Parker, former Peace Program Coordinator for MCC in Palestine, walked the silent streets of Bethlehem to meet with Mr. Zoughbi AlZoughbi, Director of Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center, an MCC partner. Zoughbi shared:

The economic picture is not good. Although we understand that the PA’s order to close businesses is necessary to protect us, it’s unfortunate because when people don’t work, they don’t get paid. Israel’s occupation has already caused high unemployment and a low standard of living in the West Bank and Gaza, and now it’s worse.

COVID-19 is a pandemic that crosses the state borders of Israel and Palestine and affects Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. Israelis and Palestinians need to resist the dangerous movement toward racial and religious exclusivism. This virus proves that we are all one, equally threatened by COVID-19. Israel and this situation need to change. We must live together in peace, working together for everyone’s well-being—Israeli and Palestinian—Jews, Muslims and Christians. There is no security in Israel unless there is also security in Palestine. The new name of the game is inclusivity and equality.

As a Christian Palestinian, I ask my Christian sisters and brothers not to forget us in our time of need. Call us. Send us emails. Pray for us. When it is again permitted, come visit us. We, who are “living stones” in the Holy Land, represent you in the land where Jesus was born, lived, taught, was killed, and resurrected. We need to know that you care.  

Read the full story here.

How you can get involved:

Write to your MP: Use CJPME's tool to write to your MP, calling for Canadian Members of Parliament to sign a pledge publicly declaring their opposition to the Israeli government's annexation plans.

Write to the Canadian government: here and ask that all government decisions and agreements, whether around aid, trade, or asylum seekers on our own border, uphold the dignity of people who have been displaced, including Palestinians.

Share your concerns on social media, as well as with your friends, family, neighbours & church:

• Share the joint ecumenical letter; the MP Pledge, and share articles from credible sources – here are two suggestions, from CBC (Evan Dyer) and the Conversation (Michael Lynk). 
• Use the Hashtags #StopAnnexation & #cdnpoli
• Don’t forget to tag your MP, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (@FPChampagne) & the Prime Minister (@JustinTrudeau). Plus please feel free to tag MCC Ottawa (@MCCOttawa)!

Sign a petition: In May, Green Party MP Paul Manly launched a Parliamentary e-petition to call on the government to request that Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza. Find the petition here.

Learn more:

• See one the most recent updates from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Dr. Michael Lynk, on annexation and international law, here.
• Check out Kumi Now! Online. MCC partner Sabeel Jerusalem offers webinars every Tuesday at 6pm Jerusalem time (11am ET). Upcoming webinars focus on education funding (July 21) and women under conflict (July 28). See past episodes here.

Stay in touch

Please help us spread the word about A Cry for Home by sharing this e-update.

If you have any questions or concerns about A Cry for Home, please be in touch: acryforhome@mcccanada.ca

Thank-you for joining MCC in responding to the cry of our Palestinian and Israeli partners!