As the state of Israel, backed and funded by the U.S., commits the most heinous crimes against humanity in Gaza and the West Bank, the inability of the United Nations to stop it is very apparent. The need to democratize international relations so that the majority of countries take decisions which are enforceable and the situation is ended in which the U.S. is considered the indispensable nation and everyone refers to it to take the actions they want, is also apparent. It is clear that today, in the face of the abhorrent crimes Israel is committing in Gaza and the West Bank also, the U.S. is holding the entire world's people hostage to its interests.

Many countries are doing their best to break the impasse, such as by withdrawing their ambassadors from Tel Aviv, while the peoples of the world continue to demand justice and a ceasefire. The peoples of the world are speaking in their own name against the intolerable situation and impasse while those who are creating the impasse claim to speak in the name of the world's people while they push irrational conceptions of democracy and international law.

As ever greater numbers of people and countries the world over continue to express their demand that Israel be stopped, Israel's crimes continue unabated, with ever greater tragic consequences. The anger of the peoples of the world is mounting with every passing day and so too is the heroism of the Palestinian people along with the determination of the peoples of the world to stand with them as one humanity waging one struggle against impunity. The appeasers of the Israeli occupiers and all those who conciliate with them will not survive this turning point of history. They cannot escape the wrath of the people, no matter how much they try to criminalize dissent or justify what cannot be justified. The Palestinian people will prevail!

The Security Council appears unable to play the role it was assigned after World War II because the U.S. has usurped the power within it. The paralysis at the level of the Security Council makes it look as if the massive protests of the peoples of the entire world are to no avail but this is not the case. The demonstrations are clear evidence of what the peoples of the world want. As seen in the mass protests and at the General Assembly of the United Nations, the peoples of the world and the majority of countries are demanding that Israel's genocidal attacks be stopped. They are demanding a ceasefire. They are demanding that Israel be held to account for what it is today and what it has done for the past 75 years since the first Nakba -- Catastrophe -- in 1948.

Within Palestine itself people's acts of heroism express the necessity to find a way forward. So too do the courage and resistance of the doctors, nurses and health care workers, staff of the humanitarian institutions, agencies and non-governmental organizations. The courage and resilience of Palestinian journalists on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank stand second to none. They are determined to let the world know what is taking place at the hands of the Israeli Zionists, despite the heart-rending cost to themselves and their families. All of this strengthens the determination of the peoples of the world to stand as one with the Palestinian people. It expresses their conviction that Israel and the U.S. and their ilk including Canada must be held to account. Their ability to keep the Palestinian people under a never-ending occupation where they are humiliated, violated and abused every day of every year must end.

While this is the objective reality of what is taking place, the U.S. and Anglo-American media and countries like Canada, Britain, France, Germany and other former colonial powers make sure no alternative is discussed or implemented. Their media kindle talk that what is going on in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world is the start of World War III. The idea is that if other countries intervene to stop Israel from doing what it is doing, these countries will cause a major war. In other words, unless we give Israel and the U.S. free rein to complete their genocidal plan, we could be responsible for a major war engulfing the whole world. The conclusion to be drawn is that there is nothing we can do but wait it out, no matter the cost.

Calculations and interpretations of the calculations go hand in hand with implicit threats that unless Israel is permitted to achieve its stated aim of wiping out Hamas, even if this means wiping out the Palestinian people, things could get out of hand. It is unconscionable. It is done so that the peoples of the world get discouraged and lose hope.

The scenes of the carnage Israel is causing are intended to overwhelm us so as to cause paralysis and inaction. Media attention hides the U.S. role in the Palestinian genocide while promoting that the U.S. is trying to "get Israel to agree" to a "humanitarian pause" and to "uphold humanitarian law." This is also intended to make sure people do not consider alternatives which favour them. It is to permit both the U.S. and Israel to get away with saying they have a righteous cause and only they decide -- their agreement is required for any solution.

This will not do.

All of it is intended to cover up the obvious point in all of this which is the need to renew and democratize international relations so that the U.S. and former colonial powers which carved up the Ottoman empire between them at the end of World War I are deprived of any authority to determine the outcome of any struggles the peoples are engaged in for the recognition of their right to be. Military might is presented as the determinant factor but this is wrong. It is the peoples' striving for empowerment which is the determinant factor. Everything must be done at this time to activate the role of the human factor, social consciousness which is decisive in establishing a vantage point which favours the peoples. The peoples of the world are unleashing their own creativity to accomplish aims they themselves set. It is their agency which will change the situation in a manner which favours them. This is a certainty we can count on.

The Need to Modernize the United Nations

– Nick Lin –

At present, a very big concern which confronts the peoples of the entire world is the refusal to renovate the United Nations. It means that the U.S. imperialists strut around as the so-called indispensable nation which gets away with dictating to the world what can and cannot be done, and who is and is not a terrorist. It is not by asking the U.S. for permission that the Security Council will be renovated. It is a matter of the General Assembly taking the actions which will end the status quo by standing up for what is necessary to end impunity when it is verifiably taking place. The General Assembly needs binding authority to act and enforce resolutions, such as those calling for a ceasefire, calling to end the blockade of Cuba, calling for the end of U.S. colonization of Puerto Rico, and the many calling on Israel to end the occupation.

Results of UN General Assembly vote, October 27, 2023, on resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, show the isolation of the U.S. and Israel, who nonetheless cannot be held to account because General Assembly resolutions are non-binding.

The Security Council has long blocked any attempts to resolve conflicts peacefully. The decisions the U.S. manoeuvres to impose are themselves violations of hitherto recognized international law, such as sanctions, bombing countries to the brink of extinction, and coups d'état in the name of human rights, peace and democracy to replace what are called authoritarian regimes not to the liking of the U.S. and its allies. The question of how to bring this to an end is not a new one. The U.S./Israeli crimes being committed are now so egregious that the question has risen to haunt the entire world which can only end this state of affairs by taking effective action.

What then can be done to deprive the U.S. of the authority conferred on it by current arrangements?

Under current rules, the decisions of the General Assembly are not enforceable despite the fact that in that body all 193 countries are equal. The truth is that an authority only has meaning if it is adhered to, if it is followed and obeyed. Nobody agrees with the U.S. playing the role of indispensable nation or the convoluted self-serving arguments it and its henchmen such as Canada put forward to give Israel the green light to defy even its founding resolution and all resolutions taken since then. In fact, the U.S. has always ensured Israel can carry out the crimes of genocide and war crimes in the name of high ideals and is guilty of these crimes today. The peoples of the world are demonstrating in greater numbers every day to say NO! It must not pass!

Besides the massive demonstrations condemning Israel and the U.S. and their allies, more and more countries are doing well to isolate Israel diplomatically. Many boycott efforts are also mobilizing working people everywhere to take a stand. The massive protests carried out by Jewish voices, especially in the U.S., Canada, Britain and countries which are in the forefront of carrying out imperialist disinformation, also go a long way to shut the mouths of those who try to discredit their just positions by saying they are self-hating and other nonsense. The defiance puts to rest the nonsense that being Jewish provides a consensus in favour of Zionism.

The security of the peoples of the world lies in their fight for the rights of all. They are speaking in their own name. Their actions are sure to open a path that provides an alternative to permitting both the U.S. and Israel and their supporters to act with impunity.

Occupation of Grand Central Station in New York, organized by Jewish groups. Their t-shirts read "Not in Our Name" and "Ceasefire Now!" (M. Moore)

UN Security Council Calls for Humanitarian Pause

On November 15, the United Nation's Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 2712 (2023) calling for extended humanitarian pauses and corridors through Gaza to facilitate the provision of essential goods and services. It also called for "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, especially children, and urged the parties to refrain from depriving the civilians in Gaza of life-saving services and humanitarian assistance."

The resolution passed by a vote of 12 in favour to none against, with 3 abstentions (Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States). The Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine emphasized that the Council should have called for a ceasefire a long time ago, stressing that millions of lives hang in the balance. Urging those present to stop the killing and forced displacements and allow humanitarian aid, he said, "These should not be words in a resolution, but a reality on the ground."

Prior to the resolution's adoption, the Russian Federation's delegate introduced an oral amendment which he described as the "lowest common denominator, lower than which the Council cannot allow itself to fall." He proposed an addition to paragraph three simply repeating the text of the General Assembly resolution: "Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory" (document A/ES-10/L.25), which was adopted on October 26 by an overwhelming majority of votes. He said that if this provision is not included in the text, it can leave an impression that the Council is "happy to make do exclusively with Israel's provision of humanitarian pauses at its discretion." Voting in favour of the amendment were Brazil, China, Mozambique, Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates. The United States voted against and nine countries abstained: Albania, Gabon, Ghana, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It was thus defeated since a vote requires at least nine countries in favour.

The enforcement of the resolution is problematic. Israel continues to enforce starvation conditions on the people of Gaza because it controls the flow of aide. The amounts of fuel it permits to enter Gaza are miserable compared to the need for emergency aid of hospitals and clinics as well as water and sewage treatment. It has spoken of using the "humanitarian pauses" to permit Palestinians to evacuate their homes without being bombed, in preparation for their homes being bombed. The urgent need is to end the blocks posed by the U.S. and former colonial powers as well as Canada to making Israel accountable. Meanwhile, the worldwide protests continue.

Broad Calls to Reform UN Security Council

The UN General Assembly discussed necessity for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) On November 16, at its annual debate on how to reform the 15-nation Security Council, (UNSC), the UN General Assembly heard speakers from many countries reiterate calls to make the UNSC more representative, transparent and accountable in order to address the most serious threats to international peace and security.

Based on arrangements to keep the peace coming out of World War II, the UNSC is comprised of five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, all of which wield veto power; and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. More than 50 Member States have never been Members of the Security Council, the UN website informs.

UNSC reform has been on the Assembly's agenda for 44 years and this year's debate comes at a crucial time when the UNSC has been unable to stay the hand of Israel, and its backer the U.S., nor hold them to account for the abhorrent crimes being committed against the Palestinians since October 7, as the people's of the world are demanding. "Never before has this issue been more pressing, both contextually and practically," said Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago), President of the Assembly, in his opening remarks.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, speaking for the L.69 group of developing countries from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, said overrepresentation of Western countries in the Council does not reflect the geopolitical diversity of the United Nations nor the geopolitical realities of the 21st century. "That it is no longer fit for purpose is now a stark reality," she said, adding that reform is not only urgent but a precondition to international peace, stability and security.

Sierra Leone, speaking for the African Group, observed that "Africa remains the only major continent without representation in the permanent category of the Security Council, and under-represented in the non-permanent category." Africa's demand for two permanent seats is a matter of common justice, he stressed.

Bahrain, speaking for the Arab Group, pointed to the recent violence in Gaza and urged Member States to ensure conflict prevention becomes more representative, transparent, neutral and credible. If the enlargement of the Security Council happens, he requested Arab representation among the permanent members in addition to a fair representation of Arab countries in the non-permanent category of seats.

Saint Lucia, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said the world faces many difficult challenges which require robust responses from the United Nations. CARICOM remains fully supportive of the need for increasing the representation and improving the responsiveness of the Security Council.

Singapore said there is no level playing field for election to non-permanent seats by small states. The elections for non-permanent seats are very often dominated by larger regional states, many of whom have established a pattern of seeking a seat on the Council at frequent intervals. It is therefore extremely challenging for a small state to campaign and run against much larger states with any success.

The remarks of the U.S. representative were intended to feign concern for the obvious need for reforming the Security Council but preserving the role the U.S. has usurped for itself as "indispensable nation." The serious issue raised by member states of their lack of representation are ignored, despite the fact that even elections of non-permanent nations are submitted to the usual corruption of lobbying for votes on pain of reprisals by the U.S. The U.S. regularly bullies them into submitting to its will seen in vote results time and time again.

The U.S. representative said that if states want the Security Council to operate at its full potential, and for it to remain the world's primary forum for addressing threats to international peace and security, "it needs to adapt." This is U.S. president Biden's mantra to maintain the status quo. At the General Assembly last year, Biden announced that the United States was committed to reform, including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent seats on the council, with permanent seats for countries in Africa and in Latin America and the Caribbean. Biden has since reaffirmed this commitment, the U.S. representative claimed, because he recognizes that the council, as presently constituted, does not represent today's realities. The U.S. ambassador continued, saying that a council that is not representative can be less credible in the eyes of those who do not feel seen, heard or understood. States cannot afford a crisis of confidence in the body, she said. By acknowledging the profound crisis of legitimacy of the UNSC, the representative's words cover up who it is who makes the decisions in favour of what interests and the need to break this stranglehold. She said that "during a listening tour with Member States and regional groupings," she heard concerns about dysfunction and politicization within the Council. Some believe their voices have gone unheard, she condescendingly said adding that, in this context, Member States will need "to re-examine long-held national positions, ask themselves tough questions and remain open to compromise in order to affect lasting change." The U.S. ambassador did not of course recognize the central problem of the well-known U.S. abuse of the UNSC to serve its narrow interests, such as to impose sanctions or justify military intervention against countries that will not submit to U.S. dictate.

Mexico said that recent events have spotlighted the paralysis in the Security Council. Given this persistent problem, the question is how to resolve it. Concerns about the vetos exercised by the five permanent members are clear and ongoing. There is no lack of examples of the council's inability to act. States have a responsibility to work towards a reform that allows it to comply with its mandate and regain people's trust. "Reform is more urgent than ever," Mexico's representative said, adding that this cycle of negotiations is crucial.

South Africa said new conflicts and threats to international security necessitate an urgent and committed discussion on Security Council reform. The world is not the same as it was in 1945. For decades, the lack of diversity and the unrepresentativeness of the Council has opened it up to the criticism that it is anachronistic, lacks credibility and legitimacy, and that it employs double standards in the subscription to international law based on Council members' own interests. A spirit of inclusive multilateralism is needed to underpin discussions on the reform of the Council. South Africa is willing to engage as broadly and widely as possible to arrive at multilateral solutions, he stated.

Brazil said at a time when the world needs it most, the Security Council has shown itself to be incapable of, or find great difficulty in, meeting its primary responsibility in key conflicts, situations and regions. The Security Council cannot be fully legitimate and effective as long as the developing world is sidelined and entire regions, such as Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa, are not represented in the permanent category. Any reform that does not address this major flaw would be mere window dressing and, worse.

Vietnam said the November 15 adoption of the first resolution on the situation in Gaza by the Security Council brought some hope. "It remains inexplicable why it took this most exclusive and powerful organ more than five weeks, after more than 10,000 innocent lives had been lost, to finally reach an agreement of limited scope," he said.

Iran said that safeguarding the Security Council's credibility requires an unequivocal rejection of any attempts to use it for pursuing national political agendas. Pointing to the Council's "massive failure" to respond to the ongoing war crimes against the Palestinians, he said it is "a clear indication of the necessity for material change" in this body. He stressed that the Council should have adopted a more robust text urging a durable and urgent ceasefire in Gaza. Discussions about the veto authority, criticized by a large majority of Member States, should top the agenda of the intergovernmental negotiations process, he said, adding that all decisions should be adopted by consensus and added that the expansion of permanent and non-permanent membership without considering the five reform clusters risks misrepresenting Member States' positions, he warned.

Venezuela said the principles of inclusion and legal equality between States must guide the process of negotiation towards Council reform. Member States should redouble efforts to correct the persistent historic inequalities inherited from colonialism, including the composition of the Council itself.

(With files from UN News)

Canada's Refusal to Recognize Israeli Apartheid

The Truth of the Matter

– Peggy Askin –

Canada's official circles have declared that identifying Israel as an apartheid state violates what it calls Canadian values. They say it is unacceptable, disgraceful, anti-Semitic and a betrayal of Canadian values. They defame and persecute those who hold that view. They do this in the name of defending democracy. The problem is that no thinking Canadian believes that it is democratic to persecute those who do not hold the same views as the state.

The very conception of the civil right to free speech and association was given rise to in defence of those who do not hold the same views as the state. It was a defence of the people against tyranny. To get around this thorny issue, the government accuses those who hold the view that Israel is an apartheid state and that it is committing the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people, of racism and promotion of hatred.

There is no discussion about what is going on in front of everyone's eyes or of the evidence of what constitutes apartheid or an apartheid state or of what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. The government of Canada, along with the governments of the United States, Britain and other former European colonial powers, think they can get away with using their positions of power and privilege to declare that their anti-people irrational views are the right ones and anyone opposing them is promoting hate or racism and deserves to be punished.

It is a position that Canadians and the peoples all over the world are condemning with their actions and by raising their voices to speak the truth about what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank. The U.S. and countries like Canada, Britain and others which support Israel's "right to self-defence," and who claim it is observing international humanitarian law to the best of its ability are increasingly isolated and bend over backwards to hold on to their support for Israel on the basis of the most convoluted and irrational arguments which everyone can see are false and unacceptable.

As support for the right of the Palestinian people grows all over the world, Canada continues to call all opposition to what Israel is doing to the Palestinians a betrayal of Canadian values. While the government lauds the genocidal attacks against the Palestinians, it defames all those who do not share its opinions and blames them for the rise of anarchy and violence in the society, including racist attacks which it gives the impression it has nothing to do with inciting.

This has been going on for some years.

In 2011, Canada's award winning "human rights champion" Irwin Cotler (a former Minister of Justice from 2003-2006) stated that calling Israel an apartheid state was within the bounds of legitimate debate. What is not legitimate is to suggest that apartheid must be dismantled, he said. "Where you say that Israel is an apartheid state, even then -- that to me is, it's distasteful, but it's still within the boundaries of argument," Cotler told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. "It's where you say, because it's an apartheid state, it has to be dismantled -- then you crossed the line into a racist argument, or an anti-Jewish argument."

The fact that most people are pointing out that an apartheid state is the antithesis of a democratic state and that apartheid must be dismantled is confounded with the state's own propaganda and a content which does not exist is imposed on its adversaries.

In 2014, the year in which Israel's army killed 2,251 Palestinians, including 551 children and 299 women, then Canadian Prime Minister Harper saved his outrage for what he claimed was "a new strain of anti-Semitism" at Canadian universities. "Most disgracefully of all, some openly call Israel an apartheid state. Think about the twisted logic and outright malice behind that: A state, based on freedom, democracy and the rule of law, that was founded so Jews can flourish, as Jews, and seek shelter from the shadow of the worst racist experiment in history, that is condemned, and that condemnation is masked in the language of anti-racism. It is nothing short of sickening," Harper said.

To confound Israel's raison d'état with democratic principles is to argue based on historical falsification from A to Z.

When the Liberals came to power, they did not hesitate to take up Harper's crusade in defence of Israeli occupation, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In 2015, Justin Trudeau tweeted, "The BDS movement, like Israeli Apartheid Week, has no place on Canadian campuses. As a @McGillU alum, I'm disappointed. #EnoughIsEnough." At a town hall meeting during the 2019 federal election, Trudeau said, "But when you have movements like BDS that single out Israel, that seeks to delegitimize and in some cases demonize, when you have students on campus dealing with things like Israel apartheid weeks that make them fearful of actually attending campus events because of their religion in Canada, we have to recognize that there are things that aren't acceptable, not because of foreign policy concerns, but because of Canadian values."

In 2015, Irwin Cotler, who in 2020 was appointed by Trudeau to be Canada's "Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism," claimed that criticism of Israel was the "new anti-Semitism." He said, "We had moved from the discrimination against Jews as individuals, to the discrimination against Jews as a people, to Israel as the targeted collective 'Jew' among the nations."

Cotler claimed that the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Durban Conference) held in Durban South Africa in 2001, with a parallel conference of non-governmental organizations gave rise to a "new anti-Semitism." He declared, "In sum, Durban became the tipping point for the coalescence of a new, virulent, globalizing anti-Jewishness reminiscent of the atmospherics that pervaded Europe in the 1930s." As if the people of South Africa do not know what apartheid, racism and discrimination are, Canada would not sign the Durban Declaration.

Cotler also wrote, "The second indicator of the new anti-Semitism is the indictment of Israel and the Jewish people as the embodiment of all evil, including racism, imperialism, colonialism, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and even Nazism.

"And this serves as a validator for the third indicator, political anti-Semitism, by which I mean the denial of fundamental rights to the Jewish people, and only to the Jewish people. Political anti-Semitism includes the denial of Israel's right to exist to begin with, and the denial of the Jewish people's right to self-determination, if not even the denial of the Jewish people as a people."

The mass demonstrations all over the world have given a fitting response to the self-serving arguments of the U.S., Canada, Britain, and European countries which are providing Israel with the mantle of impunity by advancing these arguments. Today, the only country pushing political anti-Semitism is Israel. It is denying the right of the Palestinian people to exist and denying their right to self-determination and their very existence as a people.

This is the truth of the matter.

Canadian State Steps Up Incitement to
Violence and Hatred

– Pierre Soublière –

During a November 8 scrum in the lobby of Parliament, the Prime Minister of Canada called for a humanitarian pause "to allow hostages to be released" and "get all foreign nationals out of Gaza." He said that this pause should be taken "to begin doing the work of de-escalating the situation." Trudeau said that a humanitarian pause would respond to the needs of the people of Gaza without affecting the ability of Israel to deal with the threat of Hamas.

Throughout, the Prime Minister and Canadian Liberal MPs are focusing on "the rise of anti-Semitism" in Canada, with ample references to a Molotov cocktail thrown at a synagogue in Montreal. The main thrust of media questions and answers is to expand on the initial accusation that Palestinian demonstrations are a celebration of terrorism and that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic.

Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Ben Carr said that "From the river to the sea" is a Hamas slogan. The claim is that Hamas is a terrorist organization which says Jews should be pushed into the sea. This then is linked to the slogan raised loud and clear in most demonstrations which support the Palestinian people: From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free and, voilà, because of the use of the word sea, they are terrorist, seek the elimination of Israel and all Jews and on it goes.

The conclusion is thus self-evident: it should be considered hate speech and dealt with accordingly. It is an astounding use of a lack of intelligence because all those who give these positions are motivated by defending their positions of power and privilege. Real yeoman's service to King and Country!

Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather added his voice, saying that the Jewish community is being bullied and has never felt as threatened as it is today. He must think that if he repeats this often enough it will become true. The war in the Middle East has spread into Canada, he said. He and others called for the police to "watch the demonstrations closely" and take action wherever there are "breaches of the law."

The more they listen to themselves speak, the more excited they get. It is a truly spineless and pathetic sight.

The same day, Yves-François Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, announced that the Bloc was joining others in calling for a ceasefire. The Israeli government no longer deserves a green light to intervene against Hamas terrorists since it had killed thousands of civilians, the Bloc leader declared. Killing a few civilians is okay; killing thousands is going too far. No principle whatsoever.

Having drunk the imperialist Kool-Aid, he said that Hamas stops international aid reaching civilians, he added that an international military force should intervene between Israel and Hamas to "ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians as well as to initiate a process of reconstruction and the restoration of peace, free from bombings and the exactions of Hamas."

Making himself appear even more ridiculous, the Bloc leader appealed for NATO to play this role. NATO is on the verge of imploding over the debacle of its U.S. proxy war in Ukraine but displaying his ignorance of international affairs, Blanchet claims that in the past NATO has done this at the behest of the UN, and that this measure would protect both Israeli territory and its civilians and the Palestinian population of Gaza. The imperialist Kool-Aid seems to have him believing that the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and destruction of Libya, neither of which were in fact authorized by the UN, were beneficial to the peoples of the former Yugoslavia and Libya and so too, NATO's role in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

The Kool-Aid of the official circles has clearly not done the brain of the Bloc leader any good. He is beginning to speak like Trump did recently, getting his what-is-what and who-is-who all mixed up. As if NATO ever stood for peace, the Bloc leader added that involving NATO would be a key step in the resumption of peace talks in the region. It is embarrassing to see those who call themselves politicians and statespersons parade such ignorance and nonsense.

The Bloc spokesperson also referenced meetings the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has had with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu so as to present Blinken as a worthy intermediary to call for “humanitarian pauses” in opposition to the sustained truce and end of the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and of violent settlement activity and genocide that the majority of the world’s countries are calling for. Never mind that Blinken has been rebuffed by all the parties he has tried to get to do his bidding! The Bloc said it would address their proposal to the countries meeting in Paris at the request of the president of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. That meeting was said to be an Aid Conference for the civilian population of Gaza, calling for "a quick humanitarian pause" and for countries "to work towards a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."

It is embarrassing indeed when a country with all the advantages of Canada and Quebec cannot produce a single official politician worthy of the name.

As support for the right of the Palestinian people grows all over the world, Canada continues to call all opposition to what Israel is doing to the Palestinians a betrayal of Canadian values. While the government lauds the genocidal attacks against the Palestinians, it defames all those who do not share its opinions and blames them for the rise of anarchy and violence in the society including racist attacks which it gives the impression it has nothing to do with inciting.

(Quotations translate from original French by TML)

Gaza Assault Exposes True Face of Israel's
Ugly Apartheid Regime

– Ramzy Baroud –

On Saturday, November 11, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari claimed in a press conference that Israel had killed a "terrorist" who had prevented 1,000 civilians from escaping the Shifa Hospital.

The allegations made little sense. Even by the standards of Israeli propaganda, falsifying such a piece of information while providing no context and no evidence, further contributes to the deteriorating credibility of Israel in international media and image worldwide.

Just one day earlier, an unnamed U.S. official was cited by CNN as saying, in a diplomatic cable, "we are losing badly on the messaging battlespace."

The diplomat was referring to American reputation in the Middle East -- in fact, worldwide -- which now lies in tatters due to blind American support for Israel.

Roles Reversed

This credibility deficit can be witnessed in Israel itself. Not only is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu losing credibility among Israelis, according to various public opinion polls, but the entire Israeli political establishment seems to be losing the trust of ordinary Israelis as well.

A common joke among Palestinians these days is that Israeli leaders are emulating Arab leaders in previous Arab-Israeli wars, in terms of language, phony victories and unsubstantiated gains on the military front.

For example, while Israel was quickly pushing Arab militaries back on all fronts in June 1967, with full U.S.-Western backing, of course, the leadership of Arab armies were declaring through radio that they had arrived at the 'gates of Tel Aviv.'

Fortunes seem to have been reversed. Abu Obeida and Abu Hamza, military spokesmen for the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades respectively, provide very careful accounts of the nature of the battle and the losses of advancing Israeli military forces in their regular, much-anticipated statements.

The Israeli military, on the other hand, speaks of impending victories, killing of unnamed 'terrorists,' and the destruction of countless tunnels, while rarely providing any evidence. The only 'evidence' provided is the intentional targeting of hospitals, schools, and civilian homes.

And, while Abu Obeida's statements are almost always followed by well-produced videos, documenting the systematic destruction of Israeli tanks, no such documentation substantiates Israeli military claims.

Beyond the Battlefield

But the issue of Israeli credibility, or rather, the lack of credibility, is not only taking place on the battlefield.

From the first day of the war, Palestinian doctors, civil defence workers, journalists, bloggers, and even ordinary people filmed or recorded every Israeli war crime anywhere and everywhere in the besieged Strip. And, despite the continuous shutting down of the internet and electricity in Gaza by the Israeli military, somehow, Palestinians kept track of every aspect of the ongoing Israeli genocide.

The precision of the Palestinian narrative even forced U.S. officials, who initially doubted Palestinian numbers, to finally admit that Palestinians were telling the truth, after all.

Barbara Leaf, assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, told a U.S. House panel on November 9 that those killed by Israel in the war are likely "higher than is being cited."

Indeed, every day, Israel loses credibility to the point that the initial Israeli lies of what had taken place on October 7, eventually proved disastrous to Israel's overall image and credibility on the international stage.

Rape, ISIS, and Mein Kampf

In the euphoria of demonizing the Palestinian Resistance -- as a way to justify Israel's forthcoming genocide in Gaza -- the Israeli government and military, then journalists and even ordinary people, were all recruited in an unprecedented hasbara campaign aimed at painting Palestinians as "human animals"– per the words of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Within hours of the events and, before any investigation was conducted, Netanyahu spoke of "decapitated babies," supposedly mutilated at the hands of the Resistance; Gallant claimed that "young girls were raped violently;" even former military chief rabbi, Israel Weiss, said he had "seen a pregnant woman with her belly torn open and the baby cut out."

Even the supposedly 'moderate' Israeli President Isaac Herzog made ludicrous statements on the BBC on November 12. When asked about Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Herzog claimed that the book Mein Kampf, written by Adolf Hitler in 1925, was found "in a children's living room" in northern Gaza.

And, of course, there were the repeated references to the ISIS flags that, for some reason, were carried by Hamas fighters as they entered southern Israel on October 7, among other fairy tales.

The fact that ISIS is a sworn enemy of Hamas and that the Palestinian Movement has done everything in its power to eradicate any possibility for ISIS to extend its roots in the besieged Gaza Strip seemed irrelevant to Israel's unhinged propaganda.

Expectedly, Israeli, U.S. and European media repeated the claim of the Hamas-ISIS connection, with no rational discussion or the minimally-required fact-checking.

But, with time, Israeli lies were no longer able to withstand the pressure of the truth emanating from Gaza, documenting every atrocity and every battle, and obfuscating any drummed-up Israeli allegations.

Perhaps, the turning point of the relentless series of Israeli lies was the attack on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on October 17. Though many adopted, and still, sadly, defend the Israeli lie -- that a Resistance rocket fell on the hospital -- the sheer bloodiness of that massacre, which killed hundreds, was, for many, a wake-up call.

One of the many questions that arose following the Baptist Hospital massacre is: If Israel was, indeed, honest about its version of events regarding what took place at the hospital, why did it bomb every other hospital in Gaza and continues to do so for weeks?

Israeli Hasbara Cancelled

There are reasons why Israeli propaganda is no longer able to effectively influence public opinion even though mainstream media continues to side with Israel, even when the latter is committing a genocide.

Firstly, is that Palestinians and their supporters have managed to 'cancel' Israel using social media which, for the first time, overwhelmed the organized propaganda campaigns often engineered on behalf of Israel in corporate media.

An analysis of online content on popular social media platforms was conducted by the Israeli influencer marketing platform, Humanz. The study, published in November, admitted that "while 7.39 billion posts with pro-Israeli tags were published on Instagram and TikTok last month, in the same period 109.61 billion posts with pro-Palestinian tags were published on the platforms." This, according to the company, means that pro-Palestinian views are 15 times more popular than pro-Israeli views.

Secondly, independent media, Palestinian and others, offered alternatives to those seeking a different version of events to what is taking place in Gaza.

A single Palestinian freelance journalist in Gaza, Motaz Azaiza, has managed to acquire more than 14 million followers on Instagram over the course of a single month because of his reporting from the ground.

Thirdly, the 'surprise attack' of October 7 has deprived Israel of the initiative, not only regarding the war itself, but also the justification for the war. Indeed, their genocidal war on Gaza has no specific objectives, but also has no precise media campaign to defend or rationalize these unspecified objectives. Therefore, the Israeli media narrative appears disconnected, haphazard and, at times, even self-damaging.

And, finally, the sheer brutality of the Israeli genocide in Gaza. If one is to juxtapose Israeli media lies with the horrific Israeli crimes committed in Gaza, one would find no plausible logic that could convincingly justify mass murder, displacement, starvation and genocide of a defenceless population.

Never has Israeli propaganda failed so astoundingly and never has the mainstream media failed to shield Israel from the global anger -- in fact, seething hatred -- for Israel's ugly apartheid regime.

The repercussions of all of this will most certainly impact the way that history will remember the Israeli war on Gaza, which has, so far, killed, and wounded tens of thousands of innocent civilians.

A whole generation, if not more, has already built a perception of Israel as a genocidal regime and no number of future lies, Hollywood movies or Maxim Magazine spreads will ever lessen that in any way.

More importantly, this new perception is likely to compel people, not only to re-examine their views of Israel's present and future, but of the past as well -- the very foundation of the Zionist regime, itself predicated on nothing but lies.

(Common Dreams, November 16, 2023)

Protests Continue

Thousands of Protestors at APEC Summit Demand Ceasefire and Bright Future for Humanity

The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) held its annual summit in San Francisco, U.S. from November 11-17. Founded in 1989 APEC has a membership of 21 countries including Canada.[1] The theme of the APEC Summit is "Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All." The summit involves the political leaders of the member countries and senior officials as well as hundreds of members of the financial oligarchy and private monopolies.

Thousands of people came out to hold a countersummit and other actions to protest APEC and its agenda that favours wealthy private interests at the expense of the rights and well-being of working people, and the well-being of natural environment, and also to denounce those backing Israel's genocidal crimes in Gaza. Front and centre of the demonstrations was the call for a ceasefire in the brutal ongoing attacks on the people of Gaza. Other demands included an end to labour violations, accountability for human rights abuses and reparations for climate change. The patriotic Filipino community was out in force with banners and placards such as Marcos & Biden Not Welcome -- Fight for Philippine Sovereignty. Climate justice demands were expressed in slogans such as Stop Corporate Attacks on Climate Justice -- People & Planet over Profit & Plunder and support for Palestine expressed in the demand for a Ceasefire Now and for an end to Israeli apartheid.

On November 12, the No to APEC Coalition marched from the Embarcadero to Moscone Center to protest the entire APEC summit. Organizers described APEC's events as "highly secretive closed-door meetings costing the city of San Francisco millions." "APEC's free trade agenda will harm millions of workers, women, and migrants in the US and across the Asia-Pacific, yet those who will be most impacted are not at the table," said Rhonda Ramiro of the coalition. The goal of the countersummit was to call out "APEC's false solutions and build a movement to address the very real crises of climate change, economic crisis, and militarization,"

APEC's CEO Summit took place on November 14-15, and protesters sought to stop CEOs and APEC officials from entering their meeting place, despite a huge police presence. Protesters carried large banners including "War Criminals Out of San Francisco," "Shut Down the CEO Summit" "End the Occupation" and many others.

A fundraiser attended by U.S. Joe President Biden and U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris on the evening of November 14 to support their bid for re-election was the focus of a militant demonstration denouncing Biden and the U.S. for standing with the Israeli Zionist state while it massacres the Palestinians in Gaza. People carried signs calling for Biden and Harris to resign. Others called for the end to U.S. military aid to Israel. The main demand of the demonstration "Ceasefire Now."

November 14, 2023

Climate activists rallied outside the Moscone Center on the evening of November 15, demanding that Citi and Exxon stop funding fossil fuel extraction. Exxon's CEO, Darren Woods, was one of the speakers at the APEC CEO Summit earlier that day. Climate justice activists marched on Market Street in San Francisco, Sunday, Nov. 12 behind a banner reading Fossil Fuels And Corporate Greed – No to APEC. Organizers with Climate Defenders wrote, "APEC is the perfect setting as it brings heads of states and thousands of CEOs from some of the most evil global corporations that are contributing to the climate crisis all for profit." Climate activists denounced climate change solutions discussed at APEC as "false solutions" and "greenwashing" motivated by corporate greed. Companies like Exxon have no intention to follow any climate pledges they have made, and instead prioritize profit over the climate crisis, according to Climate Defenders. Activists said the world needs real solutions such as divestment from climate change causing fossil fuels, and more sustainable, environmentally responsible practices.

Die-in outside the APEC Gala Dinner, hosted by Biden, November 15, 2023.

On November 16 protesters shut down several lanes of the Bay Bridge during the morning rush hour, in support of the Palestinian people and to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. The protest was organized by several groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center–Bay Area. San Francisco police declared the protest an "unlawful demonstration" and arrested 81 people. The protest effectively shut down bridge traffic heading into San Francisco. Numerous protesters chanted and tied themselves together with chains. Many protesters took part in a "die-in," laying down under white sheets that said, "Stop the genocide." Many protesters who drove onto the bridge during the protest apparently tossed their keys into the Pacific Ocean, further causing the massive delay on the bridge. California Highway Patrol Chief Ezery Beauchamp said, "We were not caught off guard. This was something that we were anticipating happening. We were here within a couple of minutes, but they were planned, they worked together, they brought their vehicles to a stop, and they got that accomplished within seconds." It took emergency officials four hours to reopen the Bay Bridge.

Shutdown of the Bay Bridge, November 16, 2023.

Meanwhile, groups came together to rally across Market Street, Geary Boulevard and Powell Street throughout the day, pressed up against police lines and security roadblocks, while others attempted to swarm delegates.

Actions in Other U.S. Cities

Staten Island, New York, November 14, 2023

Columbia University, New York City, November 15, 2023

Atlanta, Georgia, November 13, 2023

Note

1. The member countries of APEC are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; and Viet Nam.

(Photos: renepakmorris, B. Anderson, mavi9261, G.R. Sail, code Pink, @loudlabsync, itslaylas, @LolOverruled, PalHighlight, C. Birchfield)

U.S. Workers Stand Second to None in Opposing Israel's Slaughter of Palestinians

U.S. President Biden, has attempted to convince the working class and people in the United States that more U.S. military aid for Israel should be supported as it is "expanding production lines, strengthening the American economy and creating new American jobs." Without the least sense of shame he claimed that war funding means "American workers are building the arsenal of democracy and serving the cause of freedom."

The working class and people of the United States are having none of it. Workers and students across the country are joining in defending Palestine and defending democracy by calling for an end to U.S. aid and an end to the U.S./Israeli genocide. Their internationalist spirit is shown in taking their stand for Palestine, in naming Palestinian children, in refusing to back down despite threats of firing, expulsions and more.

Never Again for Anyone

In many actions across the U.S. and elsewhere, the call for Never Again for Anyone is being given. It is part of the stand in support of Palestine and against U.S./Israeli genocide, and in recognition of the resistance waged against the Nazis in World War II. It also embodies recognition of U.S. wars of destruction abroad and egregious crimes in particular against Blacks, Latinos, Immigrants and Asians as well as Indigenous peoples at home. There is a broad sense of social responsibility, with people of many nationalities and backgrounds participating, against the criminal role of the U.S. at home and abroad, especially today with its genocide in Palestine.

Recent actions include those in New York City, where on November 6 Jewish Voice for Peace and people of many religions and backgrounds surrounded the Statue of Liberty. This follows the demonstration by thousands to shut down Grand Central Station during Friday rush hour, with 400 arrested. Ceasefire Now! Not in Our Name! was emblazoned on T-Shirts at both events. Not in Our Name is reflective of the consciousness that Biden and Congress do not represent the people. It recognizes the urgency to publicly stand with Palestine as an expression of the widespread public opinion in the U.S. against the Zionist aggression and U.S. support for it.

People are not buying White House claims that Biden can do nothing. Clearly stopping U.S. funding and supporting UN and international action for a ceasefire are a minimum Biden can do and he does not. Instead, he is still trying to get another $14.3 billion for Israel.

The fraud of U.S. defence of Jewish people was also brought to light by some of the protestors, who spoke of how Jewish family members were denied entry into the U.S. after WWII, while Nazi war criminals were brought in. Families of Holocaust survivors were also present to denounce the current U.S./Israeli genocide.

New York City has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel and the Zionists often claim it is their stronghold. These actions -- like many more across the country where Jewish people are participating or organizing the resistance -- exposed that fraud. Jews present and past are an important and integral part of the struggle for progress, including in the communist and workers' movement. It is the Zionists, themselves collaborators with the Nazis, that the U.S. has always protected and defended, including by ensuring Israel was established in the first place to provide the U.S. with a political and military base in the region. The U.S. backing and massive funding is what enables Israel to carry out their horrific crimes -- making the U.S. as guilty of genocide.

There were many more demonstrations and teach-ins November 9, with high school and university students in many places walking out of class. On November 11, what is called Veterans Day in the U.S., there were webinars and other activities remembering veterans of the resistance movement, such as political prisoners Mumia Abdul Jamal and Leonard Peltier. They too, and many more, are not forgotten. Various actions continue, as people demand a Ceasefire Now and affirm that the U.S./Israeli genocide is NOT in Our Name.

Longshore Workers Support Actions Defending Palestine

Israeli ship blocked in Oakland, California, November 3, 2023

As part of the current struggle to defend Palestine, people are taking the initiative to block transport of military materiel to Israel. This includes a picket line at the port in Oakland, California under the banner No U.S. Aid to Israel. For nine hours a ship to be used for military supplies for Israel was blocked from leaving port. Longshoremen respected the line and did not cross. Eventually the ship headed to Tacoma, Washington, a main port south of Seattle, where military supplies for Israel were to be loaded. Despite changing both the day and time for when the cargo was to be loaded, 1,000 demonstrators came out to block the ship for hours in Tacoma as well.

Ship bound for Israel blocked from loading in Tacoma both on shore and by Indigenous water defenders on the water, November 6, 2023.

The government was forced to have the military load the cargo as the longshoremen again supported the action by refusing to cross the line of protesters. One worker who had gone aboard disembarked on seeing the protest and sent the message, "Keep fighting, unionize, show the great powers of the world that we, united, can overcome senseless slaughter and develop a global consciousness for one another's humanity." Then, from the water, a dozen Water Warriors of the Puyallup Nation used several kayaks to delay the MV Cape Orlando, dubbed the Genocide Ship, even longer.

Longshoremen, especially on the West Coast have a long history of refusing to cross protest lines and refusing to load war materiel, including for Israel in 2021 and for U.S.-led aggression against Iraq, and by joining the boycott against apartheid South Africa before that. Their participation now is a significant development for the strengthening of the resistance, as is that by transport workers in Spain, Turkey and elsewhere.

Boeing Blockaded in St. Charles, Missouri

Palestine defenders rejected reliance on Biden and Congress to stop U.S. aid to Israel by erecting a blockade at the Boeing plant in St. Charles, Missouri, about 40 kilometres west of St. Louis. Some 75 youth blocked all three entrances to Boeing Building 598. Boeing is one of the largest war monopolies and profiteers. The action disrupted Boeing's delivery of more than 1,000 bombs to Israel, with no shipments made that day and workers told to stay home. The demonstrators used a 35-foot banner with the names of about 1,300 Palestinian children, now numbering more than 4,000 massacred by the U.S./Israeli genocide.

Many Contingents of Labour Join Support for Palestine

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) on November 8 became the largest U.S. union to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, joining a growing labour movement mobilization against Israel's assault on Gaza. Leaders of the APWU, which represents more than 200,000 U.S. Postal Service employees and close to 2,000 mail workers in the private sector, said in a statement that their union is "shocked and saddened by the tragic and ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine."

"As a union that stands for equality, social justice, human and labour rights, and international solidarity, we unite with unions and people of goodwill around the world in calls for justice and peace," the APWU said. It said that "Israel's response [to Hamas violence on October 7] has made the prospects for peace more remote." The APWU decried the thousands of innocent civilians, including 4,000 children, who have been killed "by the relentless and indiscriminate bombing campaign on Gaza. Israel has shut off the flow of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip, a war crime. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding every day in Gaza. Thousands more innocent civilians stand to die wholly preventable deaths," the APWU said.

To put an end to the bloodshed and begin confronting Gaza's appalling humanitarian crisis, the APWU called on the Biden administration to "use all its power" as Israel's "primary foreign benefactor" to "help bring about peace in the region, and not use our tax dollars for more war."

"We join the calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and urgently needed massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. The cries of humanity demand nothing less," concludes the union's statement, which was signed by APWU President Mark Dimondstein, Executive Vice President Debby Szeredy, and Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Powell.

The APWU is one of more than a dozen U.S. labour unions that have called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Labor Notes reported that after the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council in Olympia, Washington unanimously approved a resolution urging its parent federation to "publicly support an immediate ceasefire and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis," on October 20, the independent United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America issued what it described as a "labour call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine" and urged "all union members" to sign on.

(Photos: lmillenium, @milkvamp, Electronic Intifada, P. Wilson)

Montreal Vigil in Solidarity with Gaza Caregivers

Nearly 300 people gathered at Dorchester Square for an evening vigil on November 15, in solidarity with all the medical personnel responsible for providing health care to Gaza residents. Several speakers addressed the crowd, including Ellen Gabriel, a Mohawk activist from Kanehsatà:ke of the Turtle Clan, well known for her defence of Indigenous Peoples in Quebec and Canada. She praised the heroism of Gazans, particularly the medical staff, who continue to provide care even as the territory of Gaza is besieged and the main hospital bombed and occupied by the Israeli army. She denounced the Canadian government's complicit silence in the face of the genocide organized by the Israeli government against the residents of Gaza. This is not surprising, since the Canadian state has a long and continuing history of genocide against Indigenous Peoples right here in Canada, she said.

A Quebec clinical doctor who has worked in Gaza recalled how, for years, international human rights organizations have compared the situation there to an "open-air prison."

A medical student of Palestinian origin then read out, one by one, the names of the more than 220 health care workers killed in Gaza since October 7, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and many others. Other young people came to read messages received by health care workers in besieged Gaza City in the last few days before all communication was cut off. The testimonies speak of the heroism of these men and women who, against all odds, refuse to leave their patients, speak of the helplessness of not being able to go to the rescue of injured people in the street at the risk of being shot at by the Israeli army. Other testimonies decried the Israeli bombing of Al-Shifa Hospital, shaking the walls and windows to the point of collapsing on patients, destroying the resuscitation ventilators and igniting oxygen cylinders that would have enabled many patients to survive. They also expressed the fear of children sleeping in the corridors with their parents because there is nowhere else to take refuge. Others shared reports from doctors from other hospitals, including one working at the Indonesian hospital in the north of Gaza City, where teams are reduced to performing only the most urgent life-saving surgery.

Tribute was paid to the 51 journalists killed in Gaza while reporting what was really happening in the Strip at the risk of their lives, as well as to all Gazans who have died as a result of the Israeli state depriving them of electricity, drinking water, food, medicine and fuel.

The vigil, which lasted for an hour and a half, ended with a minute silence in honour of the more than 10,000 Gazans killed by the Israeli state.

Ontario High School Students Hold Militant Walkouts

Toronto

On November 13, a province-wide walkout was organized by a coalition of 42 high school student groups in Ontario. The students released a statement which read in part:

"We, the students, are walking out to express our outrage at this genocide and to call for an immediate ceasefire. We also expect our school boards to acknowledge what's happening, and to release a statement regarding the genocide in Palestine. We will continue to organize walkouts, not only province wide but across Canada until a ceasefire is called by our political leaders.

"We also demand that a plan is put in place for the following actions -- we will continue to organize actions until a plan is received from school boards across Ontario:

"- We demand that Ontario schools protect Palestinian students, create safe spaces for them, and refrain from censoring and punishing solidarity with Palestine

"- We demand that Ontario school boards (teachers, administration & trustees) receive anti-Palestinian racism training

"- We demand that the history of the colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestine be included in school curriculums.

"- We demand that Canada stops providing financial, military, and political support to Israel!

"Canada and the rest of the world has failed the children of Gaza and we are incredibly saddened and enraged by the apathy of so many leaders during these times. There's no electricity or connectivity in Gaza, the cries of children are being muted as lsrael tries to hide their war crimes. This is why we are doing this -- we are here to amplify the silenced voices of Palestinian students in Gaza and in Canada. Our political leaders have made Canada complicit in this genocide, and we, as students, will stand on the right side of history."

The students have called a second province-wide walkout for November 23.