IndependentJewish Voices Canada (IJV), an anti-Occupation organization, decided atits first annual general meeting (12-14 June 09) to come out in supportof Palestinian Civil Society’s call for Boycott, Divestment, andSanctions (BDS) against the Israeli state. Though the group includes anumber of Zionists [1], the motion passed and marks the first time anational Jewish organization anywhere has taken up this position. [2] Prior to the AGM, the Vancouver and then Toronto’sbranch of IJV decided to embrace BDS. The resolution states, in part,that IJV will “support the Palestinian call for a campaign of boycott,divestment and sanctions until Israel meets its obligation to recognizethe Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and complies withthe precepts of international law, including the right of Palestinianrefugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UNresolution 194.”

Cindyand Craig Corrie, and writer and feminist, Judy Rebick, one of theeight Jewish women who occupied the Israeli Consulate in January, gavethe keynote speeches that opened the meeting. Workshops included“Challenging Islamophobia,” “Israeland the Arms Trade: Canadian Complicity,” and a panel focused on waysthat IJV can better support its allies. Speakers on the panel includedMohammed Boudjenane, the Executive Director of the Canadian ArabFederation, Bob Lovelace of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, MarionPollack from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, and Margaret Parsonsof the African Canadian Legal Clinic.

Inaddition to the BDS declaration, an emergency resolution in support ofthe beleaguered York Conference Mapping Models for Statehood and Pathsfor Peace, which was being attacked by the usual suspects: the CanadaIsrael Committee, the JDL, and the Canada Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy.

Independent Jewish Voices formed in March of 2008 at a conference held in Toronto.

Thisyear’s Pride march was marked by intense pressure from pro-Zionistforces to keep Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) fromparticipating. Pro-Israel groups were already hopping mad when theGrand Marshall of the Pride Parade, El-Farouk Khaki, gave openingremarks at a 23 May event put on by QuAIA. A story in the National Postnot long after [1] claimed that Pride had banned the group, despite thefact that QuAIA had yet to put in its application to march. BetweenFrank Dimant of B’Nai Brith – who claimed the group was “hijacking” thegay agenda – and Bernie Farber of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) –saying despite its political roots, Pride was “about fun” – a lot ofpressure was put on the organizers of this large and overly corporateevent to keep QuAIA out. Rumours of threats to funding were rife.However, despite persistent complaints from Zionists, Pride Toronto didnot cave in. Executive director, Tracey Sandilands, stated clearlybefore the event: “We are not going to ban anybody from the parade.”

QuAIA,marching together with Women in Solidarity with Palestine (WSP),gathered 180 women and trans folk for the Dyke March and over 200 forthe contingent on Pride day. With large colourful banners and lots ofspirit, the group was met with lots of cheering and support. The sloganthat QuAIA chose as a message was “I’m Out Against Israeli Apartheid,”focusing on the difficulties people run into when they dare speak upabout the actions of the Israeli regime. Other messages included “WeStand in Solidarity with Queers in Palestine”and “Anti-Zionism is Not Antisemitism.” Also marching with QuAIA andWSP were some of the organizers from the Simon Nkoli Anti-ApartheidCommittee (SNAAC), and a group of “Nice Jewish Boys Against IsraeliApartheid.” As the group moved down Yonge, many onlookers joined inwith the chants of “Free Free Palestine” and “From Iraq to Palestine: Occupation is a Crime.”

Themarching was not without incident, however. At the Dyke march a womanholding a banner was accosted by someone, who attempted to pull thecloth from her hands violently. As the group waited to march on Sunday,they were hounded by a couple of women carrying huge Israeli flags,chanting “Down with Hamas.” Another woman, who stood and filmed thecontingent at length, was asked to stop. She kept answering by saying“This is Canada.”A glimpse at her blog [2] gives you a sense of who she really is: aChristian Zionist with a soft spot for the JDL. A little later, one ofthe videographers in the contingent had her camera smashed by a touriststaying in the area, who was angered by the presence of any criticismof the Israeli state. As the QuAIA and WSP contingent went down Yonge Street,a bottle was thrown from the second story of a building. Two peoplewere slightly injured. For the most part, however, it was a successfulweekend that began with Toronto’s first ever Trans March. For more information on QuAIA: www.quaia.org.

Sue Goldstein, 6 July 2009, Toronto

Note: This report originally published online @ Linchpin, the online site for Common Cause, an Ontario anarchist group. http://linchpin.ca/

The Tayyar International Conference has been organized as part ofthe founding process of the Progressive National Democratic Movement(PNDM - Tayyar).The Tayyar was initiated as a positive response to the need to reformthe Palestinian political system to continue the battle of nationalliberation and independence, and to effectively defend their legitimaterights and human dignities. Its members are from diverse backgroundsand are working within their parties or as independent activists oncommunity and national levels. The Tayyar sides with the issues of theworkers, the peasants and the poor, it struggles with the sons anddaughters of our people’s middle class, and it joins forces with allthose who fight corruption, which affects the interests of theoverwhelming majority of our people.The Tayyar is part of the Arab and international anti-imperialist andanti-Zionist movement for a new global order. More information can befound athttp://tayyar-internationalconference.blogspot.com/2009/06/declaration-of-establishment-of.html.

IJAN has submitted to the conference the following statement of support:

TheInternational Jewish anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) is a growing network of Jewswhose identities are not based on Zionism but on long histories of Jewishparticipation in liberation struggles from EasternEurope and Iraqto Brooklyn. IJAN's solidarity with thisconference reflects our commitment to these legacies and to our participationin current struggles against racism, colonization, and imperialism. Central tothis commitment is solidarity with Arab liberation struggles against USimperialism and Zionism.

Morespecifically, we stand in solidarity with Tayyar's commitment to resistance andliberation through "a national progressive democratic project based onpluralism, tolerance, and openness in a society which believes in socialjustice, equality between men and women as well as respect for human rights andpersonal and collective democratic freedoms." We support this historic effortto overcome the externally orchestrated divisions of Palestinian societybetween people living in the West Bank, Gaza,East Jerusalem, inside of Israeland in Diaspora.