The United Nations is Organized Against Israel
While many in the Jewish and Allied communities have known for decades that UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, has been educating Palestinian Arab children to violently reject the existence of Israel, to kill Israelis and plan a return to homes vacated in 1948, the fact of systemic antisemitism across the UN and its many entities, as presented in the latest CAEF webinar, may have come as a surprise.
Watch the CAEF webinar, co-presented by UN Watch Canada and Jewish NGOs at the UN, Systemic Antisemitism at the UN, featuring Dr. Joan Lurie and Ms Dina Rovner.
Dr. Joan Lurie shared an excerpt from the documentary “Hamas and Islamic Jihad Summer Camps” in her presentation, and the full 14-minute documentary is included at the end of the webinar for those interested.
Additional materials on UN Watch website:
Read Melanie Phillips, January 26, 2024, The Rotten Edifice of ‘humanitarianism,’ UNRWA should be prosecuted for complicity with war crimes.
Materials on Bedein Center for Near East Policy Research
News! Canada Suspended Funding to UNRWA
On Friday, January 26, 2024, Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen announced that Canada was suspending funding to UNRWA given the recent revelations that UNRWA employees took part in the October 7th massacre in Israel. This followed a US announcement that funding would be suspended.
These statements sound like major breakthroughs, but before celebrating, consider these facts: Both prior administrations, Republican in the US and Conservative in Canada, had curtailed all funding to UNRWA because it was known that they were teaching terrorism to Arab children across all ages and grades, that their textbooks are produced by the Palestinian Authority and sold to UNRWA which unquestioningly uses them in all its schools, whether in Hamas or PA controlled areas, or in Syria, Jordan or Lebanon. Thus, annually over 500,000 young people are taught math, language arts, history, geography etc, with built-in Jew hatred, denial of Israel’s existence, and paying honour to any terrorists who become martyrs. A terrorist who survives and is jailed in Israel receives a salary for life, and one who dies, has this pay-for-slay award paid to his/her family. Thus, Palestinian Arab children are encouraged to kill, and even encouraged to die for their cause and be rewarded.
Here is the list of Governments which have been funding UNRWA and have suspended funding.
Advocacy and Action
Now is an appropriate time to write your MP, Prime Minister Trudeau, and Ambassador Bob Rae, to urge that funding of UNRWA not be restored over a short time frame. The revelation that more than 12 UNRWA employees took part in the October 7th massacre isn’t the whole story. UNRWA is driven by its Hamas connections, its textbooks are published by the Palestinian Authority and its summer camps run by Hamas, train school children to kill Jews!!
The definition of “refugee’ used by UNRWA is outrageous, “It is the 1952 definition that has become the accepted one and has remained virtually unchanged: “a Palestine refugee shall mean any person whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period June 1, 1946 to May 15, 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict”.
This is an administrative definition, not a legal one, but it is the guiding definition used by UNRWA and for which vast funding from donor countries is received, which stokes the ongoing “right of return” position of UNRWA.
Consider these excerpts from the article by David Bedein and then write a letter:
“The time has come to confront the uncomfortable reality surrounding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). With accusations that its 30,000 workers are acting as soldiers in a war against the Jews, a critical examination of UNRWA’s origins and activities is long overdue.”
“Calling for a criminal investigation at the Hague, focusing on UNRWA’s direct involvement in terror actions, is a crucial step towards accountability.”
“Simultaneously, reactivating the dormant Refugee Working Group (RWG), composed of UNRWA donors overseeing its $1.6 billion budget, is imperative.”
“…aligning UNRWA’s policies with those of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) could pave the way for the permanent resettlement of the 4th and 5th generations of Palestinian Arab refugees.”
“The indoctrination of violence in UNRWA schools, constituting 58% of the UNRWA budget, is indefensible.”
Canada chairs the Refugee Working Group (RWG) but has never called a meeting. Demand that Canada call a meeting and deal with UNRWA’s use of the administrative definition of refugee and its mistaken mission of the right of return’, both of which keep it from settling refugees.
CAEF Letter to Israeli Ambassador and his response re Demand that UNRWA and PA schools cease and desist from incitement and indoctrination to violence.
On January 26th, CAEF became aware of two anti-Israel events planned for the weekend, that had sponsorship from the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, and as the centre had ignored the savage attack on Israeli women but now planned to March for Palestine, which is fomenting hate, letters were written to all their known funders. These are below. It appears the planned event may have been cancelled. The Ontario Trillium Foundation acknowledged the letter and indicated they would investigate.
Letter to Prime Minister and Members of the Government of Canada, re-funding of Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, which ignores the rape of Israeli women.
Letter to Premier and Members of the Government of Ontario, re-funding of Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, which ignores the rape of Israeli women.
Letter to Mayor Chow and Members of Toronto City Council, re-funding of Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, which ignores the rape of Israeli women.
Letter to Katherine Bambrick, CEO, Ontario Trillium Foundation, re-funding of Toronto Rape Crisis Centre which ignores the rape of Israeli women.
CAEF letter of commendation to Judge Julia Sabutinde for rational and just response to south Africa’s allegations at the International Court of Justice
Recommended Reading
Read Howard Levitt on National Post: Practice True Inclusion.
Read Gad Saäd on National Post: Seven steps to save universities from further deterioration.
Watch Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the UN, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2024 posted by Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council.
Havdalah Vigil for the Hostages in Gaza and International Holocaust Remembrance Day at Solel Congregation, Mississauga, organized by #BringthemHome
The vigil was organized by Eliane Mainberger with assistance from various members of the ad hoc group, Canadians for Israel.
Rabbi Audrey Pollack officiated over the service, followed by speakers including: Mayan Shavit whose cousin is still held hostage in Gaza, Holocaust Survivor Andy Reti, Mississauga Councillor Dipka Damerla, Avideh Motmaen-Far, President of the Council of Iranian Canadians, and Andria Spindel reading a message from Donna Holbrook, National Director, ICEJ Canada. Irqa Khalid, MP for Mississauga made a brief appearance but didn’t address the audience.
The congregation provided refreshments following the program, during which time everyone viewed a large array of photos and documents from the family of Eliane Mainberger, many of whom were murdered during the Holocaust.
The Indigenous Coalition for Israel which began in 2021, had as one of its long term goals establishing an Indigenous Embassy in Jerusalem.
On Saturday, ICFI announced that the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem will launch on 1 February 2024 at an inaugural event at the Friends of Zion Museum in central Jerusalem.
This is the realization of the dreams of many indigenous peoples over decades, and of ICFI’s more recent advocacy. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the vision for connection with Israel was carried by Monte Ohio who from 1996 organized international conferences for indigenous peoples. In more recent years, several indigenous delegations have gone to Israel from Aotearoa New Zealand to strengthen ties with the people of Israel.
In September 2023, Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan Nahoum met with a representative who raised the idea of establishing an Indigenous Embassy in Jerusalem. A month later, as the war with Hamas was breaking out, ICFI advisory member Bradford Haami also met with DPM Hassan-Nahoum, who announced on the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast broadcast the intention to open an Indigenous Embassy.
CAEF Proudly Cosponsors Winnipeg Event, Meet Bassam Eid
Israeli Canadian Council - ICC, TheJ.Ca along with End Jew Hatred, Bridges for Peace, Shomrim, Jewishy Stuff, and CAEF are proud to bring Jerusalem-based political analyst, human rights pioneer, and expert commentator in Arab and Palestinian affairs, Bassem Eid to Winnipeg.
Join us as we unravel the complex history shaping the struggle for ownership in the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Contact ron.east@thej.ca for more information.
Annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day Jan 26 at the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa. Listen to the speakers pledge 'Never Again'
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