Jewish human rights group to protest JNF gala in Ottawa

[JohnyCanuck]

Ottawa - Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) will protest the Jewish National Fund (JNF) of Canada, which is holding its annual Negev Dinner at Canada's Museum of Civilization today. IJV is demanding that the Museum's CEO, Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, honour the Museum's Guiding Principles and the apology made to our aboriginal peoples and that he rescind the Museum's agreement to provide space to the JNF for its Negev Dinner.

WHAT: Demonstration against the Jewish National Fund of Canada outside of the Museum of Civilization, on Laurier Ave.
WHEN: 5:30pm - 6:30pm
WHO: Organized by Independent Jewish Voices

"In hosting the JNF event, the Museum of Civilization is violating principles which it is charged with safeguarding on behalf of all Canadians," says Diana Ralph, coordinator of Independent Jewish Voices. "Approximately 500,000 out of almost 625,000 acres owned by the JNF were confiscated from Palestinians fleeing war in 1948, and were not purchased with contributions from Jews around the world, as the JNF commonly claims." During 1948-53, the Israeli state transferred ownership of this land to the JNF for the sole use of Jews—as per the JNF's governing articles—without any compensation to its rightful Palestinian owners. This confiscation violates international law and is an ongoing source of grievance inside Israel amongst its Palestinian citizens and amongst Palestinian refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories and neighbouring Arab states.

http://yayacanada.blogspot.com/2008/11/jewish-human-rights-group-to-protest.html