No. 21

November 2023

Stand with Palestine

Movement Growing Worldwide to Demand
a Ceasefire Now! 

November 6, 2023

As of November 13, the number of people killed in Gaza since the beginning of the Zionist regime's devastating genocidal campaign on October 7 is 11,078 people, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women. A child is killed on average every 10 minutes in the Gaza Strip, the Director-General World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told The Guardian newspaper. The situation is very dire and getting worse.

The regional directors of the United Nations Children's Agency (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) made an appeal in a joint statement on Sunday, November 12 calling for urgent international action to end Israel's ongoing attacks on hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip.  They said they were appalled by the regime's attacks targeting either the main buildings or the periphery of hospitals located in Gaza City, including al-Rantisi Pediatric Hospital, al-Shifa and al-Quds hospitals, and other hospitals located in the north of the blockaded territory. Over the past 36 days, the WHO has recorded at least 137 Israeli attacks on health care facilities in Gaza, resulting in the killing of 521 people and the injury of 686 others, including the killing of 16 members of the health staff and the wounding of 38 others, the UN officials said in their statement. "The world cannot stand silent while hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation, and despair. Decisive international action is needed now to secure an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, prevent further loss of life, and preserve what's left of the health care system in Gaza," the statement said. "Unimpeded, safe, and sustained access is needed now to provide fuel, medical supplies, and water for these lifesaving services," it added.

It is also worth noting that with its siege of the Gaza Strip that began October 9, Israel has also cut off the flow of basic supplies, such as water, electricity, medicines, and fuel to one of the world's most densely-populated territories that houses over 2 million Palestinians. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 21 of the 35 hospitals with inpatient facilities have stopped functioning, either due to damage from Israeli shelling and airstrikes or lack of fuel.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that al-Quds hospital has been under intense gunfire. Israeli military vehicles continue to surround the building, trapping patients and injured people, who have no food, water or power. Al-Quds is out of service because of power outages and fuel shortages, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said, adding that it is unable to evacuate the 300 remaining patients and medical employees due to Israeli bombardments and gunfire.

Israel attempts to legitimize its war crimes by writing up stories alleging that militants are blending in with civilians attempting to escape the hospital and firing rocket-propelled grenade and anti-tank weapons from the hospital entrance. Even if that were the case, which no UN or other agency such as Red Cross or Red Crescent corroborates, Israeli assaults on hospitals would still constitute a war crime. Gaza's largest hospital, al-Shifa, is also "not functioning as a hospital anymore," the Director General of the WHO said, as a result of the Israelis cutting off power, water and medicine supplies to the hospital amid bombardment in the area. The hospital is surrounded by Israeli troops and at least 32 people -- including three children from the intensive care unit -- have died in the past three days, a Gaza health official said.

Hamas called on the Secretary-General of the UN to form an international committee to visit Gaza hospitals and verify the Israeli false narrative about their use for resistance activities. Israel claims that Hamas has constructed tunnels beneath the buildings and uses this claim to justify its attacks on hospitals and schools, the latest being the Qatari and Indonesian hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip." This is just a lie to cover up the Israeli crimes committed against injured people and civilians," Hamas said. It also confirmed that the Israeli allegation about a tunnel entrance under the Indonesian hospital is, in fact, a fuel store for the facility, while the alleged tunnel beneath Hamad Hospital is just a room for pumps and electricity generators. Israel has targeted more than 100 hospitals and medical centres and put about 16 hospitals out of service. The Israeli army spokesman's allegations are self-serving and unconscionable in any case.

On November 8, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 1.5 million Palestinians are internally displaced – 710,275 people are sheltering in 149 facilities run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA); 122,000 are in hospitals, churches, and public buildings; 109,755 are in 89 non-UNRWA schools; and the remainder are residing with host families. Since then, the Israeli destruction of hospitals and UNWRA facilities has been stepped up. Many of those facilities have been bombed and subjected to sniper fire.

West Bank settler violence is increasing exponentially, accompanied by actions of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). At least 111 Palestinian households comprising 905 people, including 356 children, have been displaced in the occupied West Bank because of Israeli settler violence and access restrictions, the UN says. "An additional 120 Palestinians, including 55 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits, and another 23, including 13 children, following punitive demolitions," OCHA added.

Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu said that "dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip is one of the solutions." Hamas responded in a statement saying the international community, the UN and relevant international courts "are urged to take the statement of this terrorist Nazi criminal" and the statements of other Israeli leaders seriously and to take urgent measures to stop this entity from committing a genocide in the Gaza Strip. Hamas demanded that "the leaders of this entity be held accountable for their heinous crimes." It warned that international silence and inaction would encourage "these terrorist killers to continue the massacre of the century and the genocidal war against our people." This would threaten "an uncontrollable explosion of the entire region and the world at large," Hamas said.

The only thing the U.S. has achieved to save any lives is that "Over the last several days, through pretty intensive negotiations with all sides relevant to this conflict, we have been able to get out more than 300 Americans, lawful permanent residents, and their family members," White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer told CBS News. The U.S. believes there are still "a number" of U.S. citizens and residents remaining in the besieged Palestinian territory, he said. The evacuation of U.S. people was given priority even over the citizens of Egypt. Canada's negotiation power is clearly a lot less and Canadians had to wait several more days.

The calls for a ceasefire and opposition to U.S. involvement in the Israeli massacres and the support for what Israel is doing by governments of countries like Britain and Canada continues to grow. An important development is the fact that hundreds of officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have endorsed a November 3 letter calling on President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire. According to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Post, USAID employees stated that they were "alarmed and disheartened at the numerous violations of international law; laws which aim to protect civilians, medical and media personnel, as well as schools, hospitals, and places of worship." The letter has reportedly been endorsed by over 630 employees of the agency, which is said to be independent of the U.S. government and responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance to developing nations.

Resistance in Gaza

Rooted in Our Land, Said Hassan

An investigation conducted by Al-Jazeera Network, and reported in Palestine Chronicle, analyzed recent satellite images to reveal data about Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip. The images showed the exact number of Israeli occupation army vehicles in the Strip, their stationing locations, and advancing lines. It revealed among other things that on November 8, the total number of military vehicles amounted to 295. This is a decrease of 88 vehicles compared to November 3, when the number of military vehicles reached 383. The images appear to corroborate recent statements of the resistance forces declaring that in the past week alone 136 Israeli military vehicles had been completely destroyed or rendered unusable.

The images also showed that the Israeli armed forces are positioning vehicles to ensure maximum damage to civilian infrastructure. For example, the Israeli army's armoured vehicles were located in seven schools, namely Ibn Sina, Khaled Al-Alami basic schools for boys, Sami Al-Alami, Al-Awda, Sarafand, Al-Zahawi, and Ashdod. The Israeli army positioned an average of 10 to 15 vehicles in each school.

The military spokesman for the al-Qassam Brigades Abu Obeida said on Saturday, November 11 that "Israeli tanks face fierce resistance and intense clashes, forcing them to retreat and change the course of their incursion." Referring to the failure of advancing Israeli forces to hold any permanent position inside Gaza City, the spokesperson added that more than 25 military vehicles were either fully or partially destroyed in Resistance attacks in the last 48 hours alone. The statement was backed up with videos documenting the targeting of Israeli tanks by homemade anti-artillery defences.

The spokesperson added: "The American-backed [Israeli] war machine is destroying everything in front of them before advancing, but it faces resistance that destroys their armoured vehicles and their soldiers' fortified positions and assembly areas."

The press statement continued: "Bombing hospitals, schools, and civilian facilities are the achievements of the occupier to have an achievement over the sea of innocent blood. The enemy's massacres in Gaza are the only achievement in the war. We announce that we have documented the complete or partial destruction of more than 160 Zionist military vehicles since the beginning of the ground aggression, including more than 25 vehicles in the last 48 hours."

Israel's National Security Minister: Advocate of Genocide
and Convicted Terrorist

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reiterated statements on behalf of the Israeli government that amount to outright advocacy of genocide. He said that anyone who supports Hamas should be "eliminated," Anadolu Agency reported. During an interview with the Israeli Channel 12, Ben-Gvir said "To be clear, when they say that Hamas needs to be eliminated, it also means those who sing, those who support and those who distribute candy, all of these are terrorists." The Minister added, "They should all be eliminated."

While Israel is accusing the Palestinian resistance of being "terrorist," the Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir is himself a convicted terrorist as a former member of the racist Kahane movement which Israel banned in 1998 for terrorist acts and the U.S. also designated as a terrorist organization. Ben-Gvir was exempted from military service due to the particularly extremist nature of his beliefs. These were 53 indictments prepared for charges against the Israeli minister such as "hate, provocative speech and racism." He was convicted of "racism and supporting a terrorist organization" in 2007. Despite all of this, Ben-Gvir was appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Ministry of National Security, responsible for law enforcement in the country.

U.S. Involvement in War Crimes in Gaza

More and more direct evidence of U.S. military engagement in committing war crimes in Gaza is coming to light. Numerous sources have concluded that U.S.-made AGM-114R9X Hellfire missiles were used to strike Gaza's main hospital, al-Shifa, where a number of Palestinian patients were killed and wounded. A U.S. military source told Press TV on November 12 that U.S. Hellfire missiles were used in the attack on the evening of November 10. Other online sources also reported that it is highly likely U.S. Hellfire missiles were used to strike the hospital. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. military analyst argued that based on the trajectory and eight-kilometre range required to effectively use laser targeting, it is most likely that the launch platform for the missile attack on the hospital could only have been a U.S. unmanned drone. It "likely points to the involvement of U.S. assets," the analyst said. Meanwhile, the U.S. European Command announced that a U.S. military aircraft crashed in the eastern Mediterranean on November 10 attributing it to an accident "purely related to training."

Public disclosure of a highly confidential audio recording of David Petraeus, former U.S. general, former director of the CIA and current board member of NATO's Atlantic Council and many other U.S. security organizations points to direct U.S. involvement in Israeli ground operations and the orchestration of a narrative to whitewash Israeli crimes. The full text of the confidential audio file is published in an article in the MEHR News Agency, entitled "General Petraeus meeting with Zionists audio file disclosed." First off Petraeus says, "I think that it [Hamas] has to be destroyed. Destruction means in military terms that you are rendering an enemy incapable of accomplishing his mission without reconstitution. Keep in mind the reconstitution piece, because this is a huge task for, the day after for the ultimate administration of Gaza. I think that the vision that is announced by the prime minister ultimately with the IDF chief of staff and others, ah should be to make clear, they intend to destroy Hamas and Islamic Jihad and then to lay out, how this has to be done there is no alternative." He counsels that the messaging must emphasize Israeli concern for safeguarding civilians. He says, "[It will have to be] very clearly demonstrated, you know, during the battles that Israeli soldiers taking great pains to safeguard civilians, noting that of course there is that enemy without uniform [who] hides among the civilians as hostages, there's gonna be suicide bombers, there will be improvised explosive device you know all this."

Next he draws on the mistakes the U.S. made following its carpet bombing of Iraq and advises the Israeli government to paint a rosy picture of what life could be like for Palestinians once Israel slaughters anyone it labels as Hamas or a terrorist. "There should be a demonstration of the intention to start repairing the damage and destruction and that leads to another element of the vision, which has to be what life can be like for the Palestinians in Gaza and I submit the West Bankers ... I'm not expecting that the Palestinians help you against them, but at least not to actively support them, and to stay out of the way and then perhaps life not only, perhaps life will be better after Hamas. Hamas has brought this on you, um and so forth and so on. But I think there has to be this kind of vision and again it's very clear that people are asking what is the future of that of the Palestinians in Gaza?"

Interestingly, Blinken and Biden are feigning disbelief and publicly say they are asking for clarification from Israel about Netanyahu's statements that Israel intends to occupy Gaza until Hamas is completely eliminated. Meanwhile, this is precisely what Petraeus counselled the Israelis to say: "I think there has to be an acknowledgment that Israel is going after to run Gaza for a while and no one wants to reoccupy, I know the challenges associated with that, but I just don't foresee any confident and capable organization coming in," he said. "Keep in mind that because for sure if you are setting out to destroy not just Hamas's army and the PIJ army it's to destroy or dismantle the Palestinian political wing which has been announced as part of the objective. So who is going to administer, and keep in mind the administration is not just handing out humanitarian assistance, restoring basic services, starting reconstruction, getting schools, markets, clinics, opening all that," he said. "[T]here is going to have to be an intelligence-led effort to ensure that the Islamic Jihad and Hamas cannot reconstitute themselves from the remnants that will be left [inevitably] and they're certainly going to try to do that. So again all these elements I think of the vision really should be stated and also frankly just doing that is going to force the leadership to acknowledge some hard realities," he said.

Petraeus concludes saying that the messaging must be clear so as not to create expectations that the carnage or occupation will end quickly. "So again I think these visions are crucial, it just can't be this idea that they'd been saying so far, that we'll figure it out when we get there. The focus is on the combat operations, for somebody who is there and been there up holding the bag that doesn't cut it."

U.S. Airstrikes on Syria

U.S. military forces conducted precision strikes on November 13 on facilities in eastern Syria. The strikes were reportedly conducted against a training facility and a safe house near the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin, respectively.

After Egypt and Jordan outright rejected being the recipients to host the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, Al-Jadeed, news media based in London, reports that new plots are afoot which aim to move Gazans to other countries. Citing Egyptian and western diplomatic sources Al-Jadeed said, "The new proposal is based on providing broad facilities to residents of the Gaza Strip through residency permits and job opportunities in the United States of America, a number of European countries, and some Arab countries, with priority given to the residents of northern Gaza."

Indian Trade Unions Stand in Solidarity with Palestinian Workers

Major trade unions in India have called on the Modi government to scrap an agreement with Israel that will allow tens of thousands of Indian workers to replace Palestinian construction workers whose work permits have been revoked since the current Israeli genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza started. The statement, released on behalf of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the BJP-affiliated Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), and several other Indian union organizations, called for India's trade union movements to show solidarity with Palestinian workers by refusing to replace them. "Nothing could be more immoral and disastrous for India than the said 'export' of workers to Israel," the group said in an open letter released November 9. "That India is even considering 'exporting' workers shows the manner in which it has dehumanized and commodified Indian workers," it said. "Such a step will amount to complicity on India's part with Israel's ongoing genocidal war against Palestinians and will naturally have adverse implications for Indian workers in the entire region."

South African Support for Palestine and Opposition to Israeli Apartheid

At a protest in Cape Town, South Africa on November 11, in which more than 10,000 people participated, African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to close down the Israeli embassy and to "move faster." Ababula said, "The embassy of Israel must be closed down. It must close down now!" He added, "We are sick and tired of the apartheid state of Israel, and we must demonstrate it with our actions. As the ANC, I say here today, from Nelson Mandela to Ramaphosa, we stand with the people of Palestine."

Also in South Africa, police used water cannons and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators who refused to permit pro-Israeli forces to rally in Cape Town on November 12. The protestors said a country like South Africa that has lived through an apartheid regime should not permit forces that promote the apartheid regime of Israel to organize. A pro-Israel event was set to be held at the Sea Point promenade, a public space in Cape Town popular with picnicking families. Despite a strong police presence intended to enable the rally in support of Israel, the event was called off before it could start as Palestinian supporters gathered at the promenade making it clear the promotion of Israeli apartheid was not welcome.

Filipinos Worldwide Join Solidarity Actions for Palestine

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines reports: "As the U.S. and Zionist-Israel continue their genocidal war crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, Filipinos joined various solidarity protests and actions in many parts of the world in support of the Palestinian people. Hundreds of protesters from progressive Filipino groups carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading: Stop the Genocide! and End Israeli Occupation of Palestine Now!, rallied in front of the Israeli embassy in Manila last October 31. As well thousands of Filipino Muslims rallied at the Luneta grandstand in Manila on October 26 to manifest their support for the Palestinian people. Hundreds of Filipinos in the U.S. joined the National March on Washington, DC for a Free Palestine on November 4. An estimated 300,000 participated in the march calling for freedom for Palestine, an end to the genocide in Gaza, and an end to U.S. support for Israel."

Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Saudi Arabia

The Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 11, to discuss the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. The participants of the extraordinary joint summit of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh agreed that it is necessary to stop Israel's military operations as soon as possible, organize the delivery of aid to the peaceful population and create functioning security mechanisms, news agencies reported. "Arab and Muslim leaders held the West responsible for the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip due to their blind support for Tel Aviv's actions," one news agency said.

The President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country is ready to participate in the establishment and operation of a security guarantee mechanism for the Palestinians, including a system of guarantor countries "to provide security not only for the Palestinians but also for the Israelis and the entire region."

Crown Prince of Kuwait Salem Abdullah al-Sabah said the UN Security Council in particular should "assume its direct responsibility and immediately stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip."

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that his country insists on the formation of a concrete mechanism to achieve a just settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the idea of two independent states. "It is also the turn of the international community to exert maximum efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state," he said.

Qatar called on the UN to send an international investigation team to Gaza to determine the extent of Israeli responsibility for attacks on civilian targets, including health facilities.

Syria's representative said that "effective steps, not verbal rhetoric, are needed at this moment" to stop the war. "Arab countries must limit their contacts with Israel in order to stop the fighting in Gaza."

Jordan's King Abdullah rejected any plans for Israel to occupy Gaza or create security zones within the enclave, state media reported. In comments he made at the royal palace, the king was quoted as telling senior politicians there could be "no military or security solution" to the war, adding Gaza should not be severed by Israel from the other Palestinian territories. The Jordanian Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed al-Safadi, also called on the legal committee to establish a framework for filing a complaint to the International Criminal Court to hold those guilty of war crimes and genocide in Gaza accountable.

Iran called for using "all means" to force the U.S. and Israel to stop the fighting in Gaza, including suggesting that Islamic countries arm the Palestinians to fight Israel if the fighting in the enclave does not stop. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also reiterated his country's position on rejecting the so-called two-state solution for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, and has instead called for a democratic solution for a single state based on ballot boxes involving Palestinians of all faiths. Iran's president ended his speech by proposing the following set of solutions to resolve the crisis in Gaza:

1. Putting an end to the massacre of the people of Gaza and blind attacks on civilians.

2. Complete lifting of the humanitarian blockade of Gaza and immediate and unconditional reopening of the Rafah border crossing with cooperation of Egypt.

3. Immediate withdrawal of the military of the Zionist regime from Gaza.

4. Cutting off any political and economic ties with the Zionist regime.

5. Recognition of the military of Israel as a terrorist organization.

6. Establishment of an international court to prosecute and punish the criminal leaders of Israel and the U.S.

7. Funding the reconstruction of Gaza.

8. Sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza from various Islamic countries.

9. In member countries' official calendars naming the day of the bombing of Arab Al-Ahli Hospital as the day of genocide.

10. Arming the people of Gaza, if Israel's relentless crimes and Washington's support for the regime's conduct continue.

Failed Attempts to Confound Anti-Zionism with Anti-Semitism

The Zionist lobby in the U.S., France, Canada and other countries is also in action. Anti-War.com writes that in the U.S., the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has declared Jewish groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow and others that joined in the unprecedented November 4 Washington, DC protest to demand a ceasefire -- as "anti-Israel." According to The Intercept, the Anti-Defamation League has added them to their database documenting rising anti-Semitism across the U.S. After a Jewish-led protest at the Capitol Building in DC to demand a ceasefire, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called the groups that organized the protest, including Jewish Voice for Peace, "hate groups." Roughly 500 Jews, including 25 rabbis, were arrested at that protest.

The Times of Israel reported that more than 180,000 people turned out on November 12 in Paris and other French cities to march in support of Israeli aggression on Gaza. Police reported some 100,000 participated in Paris. More than 3,000 police and gendarmes were deployed to maintain security. French President Emmanuel Macron publicly supported the call for the rally to support Israel, as did Marine Le Pen who declared the march should also serve to stand against "Islamic fundamentalism," a pet theme of her National Rally (RN) known for decades as the National Front (FN), led by her father, convicted Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen. French Prime Minister Borne said on November 12, "There is no place for posturing" at the march, tweeting that "this is a vital battle for national cohesion."

In Canada an unsavoury group made up of the United Jewish Alliance Federation (UJAF) together with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and anti-Iranian forces held a pro-Israel rally in Toronto's Christie Pits Park. UJAF billed the event as a rally "for human rights, for the freedom of the hostages, and for an end to the hate we're facing today." Sara Lefton, UJAF chief development officer, said, "We cannot -- cannot -- call for a ceasefire without calling for the return of the hostages and for Hamas to surrender. And so we absolutely need to end the killing of Israeli civilians and Palestinian civilians but we can only do that if Hamas is gone." Alexandria Chyczu, President of UCC, infamous for its support for Nazi collaborators said, "We understand that if either Russia or Hamas succeeds it will be dire days for all of us." The UCC issued a statement following the rally saying UCC had "joined our friends in Canada's Jewish community to express our solidarity with the people of Israel and unequivocally condemn the heinous violence perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist organization against Israel. Terror and terrorism must be defeated."

CityNews Toronto coverage went with the headline "Protesters demonstrate across Canada" however no details were provided other than the pro-Israel rally held in Toronto's Christie Pits Park. Likewise Canadian Jewish News announced pro-Israel rallies were increasing across the country. Aside from art installations organized by UJAF and appealing for "Jewish Canadians to turn out, whether for the Toronto event or across the country," the only pro-Israeli actions cited seemed limited to vehicles flying Israeli flags driving in downtown Toronto, "eye-grabbing visual displays around Toronto" and "a small group of pro-Israel supporters [that] brings Israeli flags and music to the corner of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue on Sunday mornings."

The fact is that the Jewish people themselves, in Canada, the U.S. and around the world, stand second to none in condemning the savage Israeli apartheid aggression against the Palestinian people, the murder of men, women and children by indiscriminate bombing day and night, the decades of Israeli occupation, the illegal settlements and settlement violence against the Palestinian people. They speak and organize boldly and loudly in their own name and demand a ceasefire now!

---

Photo Review of Worldwide Actions
November 6-12

CANADA

During the week from November 6-12 mobilization continued to take place across the country as thousands of Canadians demands action from the Canadian government to call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the seige of Gaza and that Canada stop funding Israeli genocide in Gaza. In response to an international call to "shut it down for Palestine" on November 9-10 actions took place at plants in Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton which produce products used by the Israeli military. The week closed with a pan-Canadian day of action November 12 organized by Ceasefire Now in which 50 cities and towns participated -- as well as the major cities across the country actions took place in smaller communities from Yellowknife in the Yukon to St. Anthony's in Newfoundland with tens of thousands participating.  A number of Unions endorsed the action including the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the National Union of Public and General Empoyees (NUPGE) andUnifor.  

St. John's

November 12, 2023

Halifax

More than 1,000 Haligonians came out on November 12 to support Palestine, speak in their own name, and call out the provincial and federal government's role in the genocide of Palestinians. The March began in Victoria Park at 5:00 pm and went through the downtown area to city hall where the rally took place in the Grand Parade in the midst of a homeless encampment. 

November 12, 2023

Montreal

Stuudents walk out from the University of Quebec in Montreal, Concordia and McGill in support of the Palestinian people, November 9, 2023.

Sit-in outside Prime Minister Trudeau's constituency office, November 9, 2023

Picket at L3Harris plant in Montreal, November 10, 2023

On Thursday, November 9, a vigil was held in front of the Place des Arts in Montreal's Festivals district, organized by the Women's Coalition for Peace in Palestine. The names of hundreds of children killed under Israeli army bombardment were inscribed on a large banner on the ground, with candles arranged to surround it. 

Several speakers denounced these infamies and the Canadian government's shameful and unacceptable support for the Israeli government. Participants denounced the massacres and all the violence that ensues, and demanded that the Canadian government, and in particular Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, call for an immediate ceasefire, as well as an end to the blockade that punishes the entire Palestinian population living in the Gaza Strip.

Vigil for children of Gaza, November 9, 2023

On Sunday, nearly 20,000 people took to the streets and marched for over 3 hours in support of the struggle of the Palestinian people and to demand to put an end to the genocide. From Place du Canada to the Israeli consulate, thousands of demonstrators shouted: Viva Viva Palestine, From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free, Israel murders the children of Palestine, Israel a terrorist, Canada an accomplice and many others.

The speeches highlighted the fact that thousands of Palestinians have been held hostage for decades, today deprived of water, electricity and food. Many speakers reiterated the need for a ceasefire now, and declared that Canada does not speak in our name. They demanded that the Trudeau government take a principled stand against Israeli war crimes in Gaza, and condemned its conciliatory position of abstention when the UN General Assembly adopted an "immediate, lasting and sustained humanitarian truce" resolution on October 27.

A young Palestinian girl defended the right to life of the children of Palestine, who are being killed by the Zionist state in their thousands. Free Palestine she shouted.

A representative of Montreal's Hasidic Jewish community spoke out forcefully against the monopolized media's attempts to equate Jews with Zionists. Anyone who tries to conflate denouncing Israel's crimes as anti-Semitism has a hidden agenda, he said. Judaism is not Zionism. He made it clear that Jews stand with the Palestinian people everywhere, demanding an end to the occupation.

Palestinian, Lebanese, Algerian, Iranian, Irish and many other flags flew throughout the march. The sheer number of placards demanding a ceasefire and an end to genocide, denouncing the Trudeau government and its complicity with the Israeli apartheid regime, and stating loud and clear: Palestine will live, Palestine will win, set the tone. The solidarity movement doesn't flinch. This is the movement that defends the UN resolutions demanding an end to the occupation. It is this movement that will find the way to make this a reality.

Ottawa

Picket at Lockheed Martin plant in Ottawa, November 10, 2023.

On Sunday, November 12, close to 12,000 people once again assembled on Parliament Hill and marched through downtown Ottawa. It is tragic to think that it is close to the number of Palestinians who have been killed to date in Gaza under the criminal bombing by Israel, condemned worldwide for its genocidal war crimes.

The opening slogans before the speeches on the Hill were given by a six-year-old boy, of his own initiative, as he has memorized all the demands the people are putting forward and the condemnations of Canada for its complicity. He is rapidly becoming a symbol not only of Palestinian steadfastness and courage, but of the affirmation that the future lies in the youth and their embracing of the causes of change, peace and freedom for the world's peoples. His very presence gives confidence that Palestine will win!

The first person to speak was a young spokesperson for the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians. She said:

"Peace, Justice, and Dignity. These are some of the most important principles that should be enshrined for humanity, but not for Palestinians. For almost 75 years now, the Palestinians have faced ongoing land dispossession and some of the worse injustices of our history, as we live in what many human rights organizations refer to as apartheid.

"What we are witnessing in Gaza is unbearable. We have no more words to describe this atrocity, this Nakba, this genocide, a genocide that is aided and abetted by leaders around the world who supposedly believe in human rights and equality for all. A genocide that is also enabled by this disgustingly biased, unfair media.

"The road to freedom for Palestinians may seem bleak, but the manner in which the world is mobilizing to advocate for Palestinian human rights gives us hope.

"As of today, over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, approximately half of which are children. Babies on life support are slowly dying one by one because Israel refuses to allow access to fuel, water and power. These are basic human needs which all children around the world deserve the right to have. How can a government deprive millions of them in 2023? Collective punishment is a war crime, killing children and civilians is a war crime. Enough is enough!

"To our government, your constituents are here once again demanding for Canada to abide by international humanitarian norms and humanity. We are demanding to stand up for justice and demand a ceasefire. We owe the people of Palestine one thing: we promise that we will never give up on advocating, we will never forget their suffering here at home and we will continue to loudly speak out. Shame on Trudeau! As the great Nelson Mandela once said: ‘We know too well that our freedom isn't complete without the freedom of the Palestinians.'"

She was followed by a professor and trailblazer in advocacy for Palestinian human rights, who read the following poem:

Canada. We cannot understand why you shied

The third person to speak was the vice-president of Unifor Local 6004. In part, he said:

"Today we stand in solidarity with allies in the labour movement, with the hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"As a social justice organization that promotes peace, Unifor denounced war, aggression, and conflicts which endanger workers and their families. As a workers' union, we know workers bear the brunt of wars. Healthcare, education workers, journalists and truck drives continue to work in the most dangerous conditions, helping people to survive one day more.

"The calls for a ceasefire and justice are growing louder in Canada and around the world. As human rights activists, we cannot remain silent before the humanitarian catastrophe we are witnessing in Gaza. We cannot remain silent when more than 11,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, over 4,500 of them children. A letter has been sent to the prime minister for an immediate ceasefire. We are calling on Canada and the international community to finally take meaningful steps towards promoting a long-lasting and just peace in the region and end the blockade on Gaza. Canada must end its complicity in the crimes against Palestinians. Ceasefire now!"

The fourth speaker, a friend of Independent Jewish Voices, said, in part:

"I refuse to believe that a state like Israel, one that imposes apartheid, dispossesses people of their homes and bombs entire neighbourhoods, is also a Jewish homeland. I refuse to believe that Jewish survival and security must come at the expense of Palestinian survival and security.

"I have experienced how Zionism has fractured the Jewish spirit, the very spirit that has survived long before the state of Israel was ever created. Last year, I saw with my own eyes the destruction that Zionist policies and settlers have brought to the land. I have seen the destruction settlers have brought in the neighbouring Palestinian villages, how they use their violent presence in Palestinian territory to expand Israeli occupation. I have seen Israeli state violence response to peaceful Palestinian protests where the IDF attacked Palestinians for simply waving their own flag.

"I urge my Jewish community members to challenge the Zionist ideology we are taught as kids, to not turn against one another for criticizing Zionism and Israel's unlawful military occupation and war crimes committed against Gaza, to see Israel for what it is, an ethno-nationalist regime running on policies of ethnic cleansing and military occupation in the name of religion.

"'Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore.' Not in our name!"

November 12, 2023

Toronto

Sit-in at Union Station during morning rush hour, November 9, 2023

Picketline blocks entrance to  arms maker L3Harris, demanding Canada stop arming Israel,
November 10, 2023

More than 20,000 people gathered outside Toronto's City Hall on November 12 as part of the pan-Canadian and worldwide actions against the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people. Organizers emphasized in their introduction that this is an action of the Canadian people who reject all forms of racism including anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and the anti-Palestinian bias of the media and official circles. The action is precisely against the genocidal assault of the Israeli Zionist state in Gaza and the West Bank, and proclaims, In Our Millions, in Our Billions, We Are All Palestinians! Speaker after speaker expressed the sentiment that we are not divided by religion or by national origin but are united as one humanity for a just cause. They listed some of the towns and cities across the country where simultaneous actions were organized.

Several speakers addressed the thousands of people who filled the street in front of City Hall before the march started, including representatives of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Unifor, Independent Jewish Voices, the National Council of Canadian Muslims, and Toronto4Palestine. Many Canadian trade unions have joined the call for a ceasefire.

Prime Minister Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and other ministers of the federal and provincial governments were condemned for their hypocrisy. The previous day they participated in Remembrance Day ceremonies, presenting themselves as the champions of peace. Meanwhile they are wholeheartedly supporting the war crimes being committed daily by the Israeli armed forces in Gaza.

Speakers said that it is clear that the Canadian government, which opposed the resolution at the United Nations calling for a ceasefire, does not speak for Canadians who are out in the streets in over 40 cities and towns across the country telling the world that Canadians call for a ceasefire, for an end to the funding of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and an end to the occupation of Palestine.

The representative of Independent Jewish Voices stated that the conclusion of the Jewish people and other victims of the Hitlerite Holocaust is the call Never Again! She said that means Never Again for All of Humanity!

Speakers condemned the arrest in Calgary of a Palestinian activist on the fraudulent grounds that the slogan From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free is anti-Semitic. The representative of Toronto4Palestine denounced this characterization and reminded everyone that this has been the slogan of the dispossessed Palestinians for over 70 years since their land was stolen by the colonial powers and their right to return denied. He said that in the Israeli Zionist state's attacks on the Palestinians is reflected the Holocaust, the genocide of the Indigenous Peoples by the Canadian state, the internment of the Japanese in Canada during World War II and others. This is what unites us in opposing the Israeli Zionists' crimes and supporting Palestine.

Speakers called on municipal governments across the country to follow the lead of the Burnaby, BC City Council which on November 6 unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the federal government support a ceasefire and join the peoples and nations of the world to make it happen.

Along with workers from Unifor, there were flags and placards from other unions including the Canadian Union of Public Employees – Ontario, Service Employees International Union, United Steelworkers, and the National Union of Public and General Employees. In addition to members of the Jewish community and a large contingent of Indigenous land defenders, Filipinos, Latin Americans and people from several countries in the Middle East carried their country's flags and placards to express their solidarity. The march through downtown ended at the U.S. Consulate with speeches and chants in support of the Palestinian people, demanding that the Canadian government stop financing and supporting Israeli war crimes and stand with all of humanity to end the genocide, end the occupation, uphold the rights of Palestinians and create conditions for peace in the Middle East.

Hamilton

Picket shuts down all access to L3 Harris’ factory in Waterdown, outside Hamilton, November 10, 2023.

London

Windsor

On November 9 a Silent Stand-In was held on the sidewalk by the corner of Ouellette and University Avenues in downtown Windsor. Organized by Windsor4Palestine the aim was to denounce the extreme pro-Israel bias of the Postmedia-owned Windsor Star and to hold it to account for spreading disinformation in the community.  As part of the action participants drew and wrote messages on the sidewalk with chalk.

Silent stand-in for Palestine protesting media bias, November 9, 2023

On November 12, hundreds of people rallied to hear speakers and watch a dramatization before marching along some of Windsor's main arteries just south of the downtown core. At its highest point, during the march, the number of demonstrators grew to at least 1,000. It was the fifth large action of its kind in a month, with the key demand raised being for a stop to the genocide Israel is carrying out against the Palestinian people. Speakers called on Canada to stop enabling Israel's war crimes, crimes against humanity and violations of international law and join the majority of the world’s countries in calling for an immediate ceasefire, but also an end to the siege of Gaza, apartheid rule and the occupation.

Some of the speakers focused on denouncing attempts by governments and politicians at different levels to silence opposition to what Israel is doing by defaming those who speak or write in support of Palestine, wave its flag or repeat a longtime popular chant calling for a free Palestine "from the river to the sea," as supporters of terrorism. One speaker pointed to what the Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a recent speech, accusing him of inciting hatred and violence against not only Palestinians but their supporters in Canada engaging in peaceful protests by calling them "terrorists" and the Palestinian flag a "Hamas" flag. He also denounced Ford's "unfounded" attempt to colour the Jewish people with the Palestinian blood being spilled in their name by the Zionist state, saying, "We stand united here and all across the world with our Jewish brothers and sisters against the holocaust, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity" of those he called Ford's "Zionist brothers."

"You have proved yourself unfit to be a leader of the people," he said. "Unfit either because you are uneducated in the history, geography, and politics of the world. Or if not uneducated, then unfit because you’re attempting to spread lies and misinformation to the people you promised to serve."

Another activist who addressed threats to criminalize waving of the Palestinian flag and use of the slogan From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free! pointed out that it is precisely the Palestinian flag that is flying high in every country of the world today. He asked all those carrying a flag at that moment to raise it even higher and to keep holding it high. At the end of the rally and along the march route, From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free! was shouted often and vigorously.

November 12, 2023

North Bay

Winnipeg

Picket blocks entrance to Boeing plant, November 9, 2023

November 12, 2023

Calgary

Thousands of justice loving Calgarians rallied and marched on the November 12 National Day of Action to Stand with Palestine.

Totally filling City Hall Plaza and the sidewalks below Calgarians demanded an end to the genocide in Gaza, and called for a Ceasefire Now. Estimates were that there were close to 5,000 people at the demonstration. Speaker after speaker demanded an end to the genocide being carried out by Israeli Zionism and called for an immediate Ceasefire. They were met with massive approval from those at the protest. The protest organizers and many others who spoke denounced the arrest, after last week's protest of the lead organizer of Justice for Palestinians Wasam Khaled. He was charged with "disturbing the peace" which is a criminal charge. Leading off those who spoke in defence of his and everyone's right to stand with Palestine and in defence of the human right to conscience was Wasam's mother, Mona Kadri, a fighter for peace, justice and workers rights her entire life.

The huge turnout for the November 12 rally showed that nobody is intimidated by attempts to silence Calgarians' opposition to crimes against humanity and war crimes and nobody is fooled by the nonsense that shouting a slogan calling for justice for Palestine is somehow equal to "causing a disturbance."

At the conclusion of the Rally and before the spirited and powerful march started to the Harry Hays Federal Building, participants held up over 1,200 hand written papers with the names and ages of children killed by the bombs of the Israeli Zionists. This was followed by a moment of silence for the children and their families in Gaza.

November 12, 2023

Edmonton

More than 10,000 people from all walks of life participated in a militant rally and march in downtown Edmonton on November 12 in support of Palestine and to demand an immediate ceasefire. The action was the largest so far in the city which has seen growing numbers coming out to weekly demonstrations and other events, including a fundraising market that raised over $46,000 for aid to Palestine on the same weekend.

November 12, 2023

Prince George

Prince George residents from all walks of life and all ages came together on November 12 to add their voices to those of millions across the globe demanding a ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza and genocide against the Palestinian people.

Picketing on a main thoroughfare with continual supportive horn honking from passing cars and engaging in lively discussion with each other, this action exemplified the overwhelming sentiment of everyone present -- that we stand as one with Palestine.

Vancouver

Demonstration outside Liberal fund-raiser hosted by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly,
November 9, 2023

Victoria

UNITED STATES
 
New York City

November 7, 2023

High school walkout for Palestine, November 9, 2023

Protest at New York Times building against biased coverage on Palestine, November 9, 2023

November 9, 2023

Saratoga, NY

Washington, DC

Walkout and protest by Congressional staff, November 8, 2023

November 11, 2023

Austin, TX

November 12, 2023

West Hartford, CT

November 9, 2023

Columbus, OH

San Francisco, CA

Sit-in outside federal building, November 9, 2023 as part of "shut it down for Palestine" actions

Portland, OR

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN
 
Santa Clara, Cuba

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Guadalajara, Mexico

Quito, Ecuador

Cusco, Peru

Santiago, Chile

November 12, 2023

ASIA
 
Hebron, Palestine 

Amman, Jordan

November 10, 2023

Sana'a, Yemen

November 10, 2023

Batman Province, Türkiye

November 12, 2023

Jakarta, Indonesia

November 12, 2023

Tokyo, Japan

November 10, 2023

AFRICA
 
Capetown, South Africa 

November 11, 2023

OCEANIA
 
Australia

Over 700 people, from all ages and walks of life, lined the main street in downtown Hobart to Stand with Palestine and demand a "Ceasefire NOW"!

Hobart, November 11, 2023

November 11, 2023

EUROPE
 
European Parliament

A number of members of the European parliament call for ceasefire, November 9, 2023

England

Blockade of BAE arms plant in Kent, November 10, 2023

London, November 11, 2023

Glasgow, Scotland

Belfast, Ireland

November 11, 2023

Germany

Berlin, November 11, 2023

Munich, November 11, 2023

Paris, France

November 11, 2023

Genoa, Italy

On November 10, 2023, over 500 people, port workers, activists and other supporters of Palestinian rights blocked access to the Port of Genoa to oppose the passage of weapons destined for Israel.

Athens, Greece

Show of solidarity with Palestine at Athens marathon, November 12, 2023

Navarra, Spain

Firefighters call for end to genocide in Gaza, November 7, 2023

(Photos: TML, jvp live, H. Tatrie, Y. Engler, WBW, R. Bruemmer, alcontent416, N. Fadil, parismarx, Labour4Palestine, A. Gayle, notalady, Khaldah, occupywsib, Queers for Palestine, OK4DMC, HiwattPete, C. Roots, N. Jiminez, @rulebreakersbc, press.ir, DesisRising, The Peoples Forum, S. Waddington, M. Calculli, Shehab, Wafa, Peoples Dispatch, Answer, Campus Palestinian Rights, DSA, Empire Files, SkaPConcert, Frente Palestina Sao Paulo, blackbird11, Left EU, M. Collins, palestinaspricht_muccr, PAME, El Necio, Colectivo Feminino Construccion, La Jornada, Y. Ortiz, Abya Yala Soberana)

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