The following ad will run in The Georgia Straight in Vancouver and The Now in Toronto this Thursday, May 8:

You can view the actual ad here

WE CANNOT CELEBRATE

Around the world, plans are being made to mount major celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. But this year also marks 60 years since 750,000 Palestinians were brutally expelled from their homeland in what they refer to as the Nakba or “catastrophe”. Given this history, and the deepening conflict in the region today, we believe there is no grounds for celebration.

We cannot celebrate while Israel starves and bombs the people of Gaza.

We cannot celebrate while Israel extends its apartheid wall.

We cannot celebrate while Israel builds Jewish only settlements and roads on stolen Palestinian lands.

We cannot celebrate while Israel continues to violate United Nations Resolution 194, refusing to let Palestinians return to their homes.

We cannot celebrate while Israel continues to promote wars and expand its nuclear arsenal.

We cannot celebrate while the policies of Israel’s leaders fuel a conflict in which innocent lives on both sides are lost.

We can and will continue our efforts to end these injustices, upholding international law, human rights and United Nations resolutions.

This is the only road map to peace.

Canada - Palestine Support Network (Canpalnet)

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This ad has been organized by Canada-Palestine Support Network (CanPalNet) and paid for with the generous donations of the signatories and others. To support our work, please click here.

Ken Hiebert
Morgan McGuigan
Cynthia Flood
Herman Rosenfeld, National Representative, Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW)
Svend Robinson, Member of Parliament, Burnaby, 1979-2004
Gary Cristall
Ivar Ekeland, Canada Research Chair in Mathematical Economics, University of British Columbia (UBC)
Gabor Mate, Physician and Author
South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD)
Dr. Margaret McGregor, Clinical Associate Professor, UBC
Anne Roberts, City Councillor, Vancouver, 2002-05
Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians
Joanne Fox
Jane Turner
Bill Pegler, National Representative, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Cy Gonick, Publisher, Canadian Dimension magazine
Khaled Mouammar, National President, Canadian Arab Federation (CAF)
Edward S. Herman, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Joanne Naiman
Neil Naiman
Ali Mallah, Ontario Region Vice-President, CAF
Michael Lynk
Lawrence Boxall
Greg Albo, Professor, York University
Nicolas Sayegh
Gary Keenan
Adrienne Montani
Dave Ages
Virginia Monk
Stephen Lendman
Dr. Mary-Jo Nadeau, Trent University
Amina Jamal, Assistant Professor, Ryerson University
Al Engler
Dr. M. I. Elmasry, National President, Canadian Islamic Congress
Judith Weisman
Ismail Zayid
Sam Gindin
Libby Davies, Member of Parliament, Vancouver East, 1997 - Present
Carel Moiseiwitsch, International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
Barbara Coward
Steve Garrod
Diana Ralph
Sid Shniad, Research Director, Telecommunications Workers Union
Tom Sandborn
Vincent Mosco
Bob Rosen, Past President, Surrey Teachers' Association
Diane Jolly
Gordon Flett, Secretary, Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Vancouver
Leo Panitch
Anne-Marie Brun
Dave Bleakney, National Representative, Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
Palestine House
Dr. Abigail B. Bakan, Queen’s University
Dr. Peter D. Pare, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Jef Keighley
Marion Pollack
Ken Luckhardt
Canadian Arab Federation (CAF)
Eva Sharell
Earle Peach
Alan Zisman
Jim Gorman
Helen Hickman
Brian D. Hickman
Bill Saunders, President, Vancouver and District Labour Council
Tim Louis, COPE (Coaltion of Progressive Electors) City Councillor, 1999-2005
Penny Perry, Child/Youth Advocate, Vancouver, 1992-1996
Richard Bevis
Rahma Haddad
Jill Wight
Conrad Alexandrowicz
John Price
Rick Gordon
Judith Neamtan
Al Cordoni
Vi Cordoni
Jim Edmondson
Terry Engler
Ellen Woodsworth, Women's International League for Peace & Freedom
M & A Harris
Women Elders in Action
Elsie Dean
Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC)
Peterborough Coalition for Palestinian Solidarity (PCPS)
Chris Levenson
Jews For A Just Peace
Susan Stout
Norman Epstein
Rabab Ward
Stephen Aberle
Carol Stone
Evert Hoogers, National Representative, CUPW
Naomi Klein
Ed Lavalle, Capilano College
Ken Davidson, Vice President, CUPE Local 1004
Domenic Bellissimo
Lynda Lemberg, Educators for Peace & Justice
Mark Klein
Javier Davila, Educators for Peace and Justice
Mia Amir
Seth Klein
Zafar Bangash, Chair, Islamic Centre of York Region
Dr. Basem Naser
Canadians Against War
Louise Leclair, National Communications Director, CUPE
Paul Tetrault, National Representative, CUPE
James V. Leslie
Hari Sharma
George Heyman, President, BC Government & Service Employees' Union (BCGEU)
Carl Rosenberg, Editor, Canadian Jewish Outlook
Michael A. Lebowitz, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Anton Kuerti, O.C., Musician
Marwan Hassan, Writer, Ottawa
Jayce Salloum
Elizabeth Block
Rita Wong, Poet
Elia Zureik, Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University
Gérard Briand
Michael and Carmen Welton
Richard Renshaw
Andrew Phillips
Marty Roth, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota
Sedef Arat-Koc
Coalition in Solidarity with the People of Iraq (CESAPI)
Murray Dobbin
Ken Klonsky
Reverend Robert Assaly
Jamelie Hassan
Denise Nadeau
Ursula Franklin
Pat Howard, Simon Fraser University
Roger Howard, Simon Fraser University
Bill Hood
Terry McNenny
Brian Cross, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
Laura Barker
Linda Belanger, Canada Palestine Network-Ottawa
Dr. Federico Allodi, Founder, Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture
Colleen Fuller
Jane Bouey
Dr. Mark Etkin
Karen Kilbride
Kathleen Ruff
Sunera Thobani
William K. Carroll, University of Victoria
Megan and Charles Schlase
Ross MacKay, Malaspina University College
Kate Sercombe
Patricia Morrison
Dr. Howard S. Davidson, University of Manitoba
Judy & Jim Deutsch
Trade Union Committee for Justice in the Middle East (TUCJME)
John Malcolmson
John Di Stefano
Jean E. Lee
Yom Shamash
John Gilbart
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (UBC)
David Wurfel
Fred Farhad Soofi
Bob Ages
Gail Haddad
Lavina Shaw
Gregory Baum
Penny Goldsmith
Phil Lyons
Cindy Reeves
Ruth Herman
Haseena Majeed

Where individual names are followed by an organizational affiliation, this is to indicate the affiliation is only for purposes of identification. When an organization as a whole has endorsed the statement, the name of the organization appears separately.