Toronto to Mark Global Day of Protest Against Israeli Occupation
8 June, 2007 

*****
Break the Siege on the People of Palestine
Sunday June 10
Starting at the US Consulate at 1pm (360 University Avenue - Toronto)
Marching to Queen’s Park (2:30pm) and Israeli Consulate (180 Bloor West- 3pm)
*****

 Mass demonstrations will be taking place in every major city across the globe this weekend marking 40 Years since the Israeli Occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights. In Toronto, demonstrators will call for an end to Canada’s support for the Israeli occupation, and particularly the Canadian imposition of a blockade on the Palestinian Authority. Speakers at the demonstration will include Alexa McDonough of the New Democratic Party, Khaled Mouammar of the Canadian Arab Federation, and Rafeef Ziadah of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid.

 “The siege on the Palestinian Authority exposes the true hypocrisy of the Israeli, Canadian and US governments” says Hazem Jamjoum, spokesperson for the Palestine House Educational and Cultural Centre which called for this demonstration. “It was these governments that pressured the Palestinian Authority to hold elections, and when the election results were not to Israel’s liking, they imposed this blockade. Since it was imposed, one third of the Palestinian families in the West Bank and Gaza have lived practically without wages since March 2006 when the siege was imposed. These conditions have forced Hamas to form a unity government acceptable to the West; despite this Canada has maintained its blockade policy”.

 “Canada’s foreign policy has taken a very dangerous turn towards the support of Israel, and the siege is only one example” stated Khaled Mouammar, president of the Canadian Arab Federation. “In complete disregard of international law and of public opinion in Canada, our government has decided to side with Israel’s policies of strangling and starving the Palestinian people through transforming their towns and cities into open air prisons, and cutting them off from money and support from the outside. These policies were appropriately described as policies of apartheid by former US president Jimmy Carter”.

.