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Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is delighted to announce that it will be hosting Ms. Haneen Zoabi as keynote speaker for its third annual fundraising tour, Nov. 18-20. Ms. Zoabi is the first Palestinian-Israeli woman elected to sit in the Israeli Knesset as a representative of an Arab party. Ms. Zoabi will speak about the challenges she faces as a Palestinian leader in Israel-proper, her experiences as an eyewitness during Israel's attack on the Gaza Aid Flotilla on May 31st, and about the elements essential to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All proceeds from the tour will go to support CJPME's advocacy work in Canada for justice and peace in the Middle East.
The fundraising dinner events will be held at the following venues:
Thursday, Nov. 18, 6:30: Ottawa, Delta Ottawa Hotel
Friday, Nov. 19, 6:30: Toronto, Delta Chelsea Hotel
Saturday, Nov. 20, 7:00: Montreal, Delta Montreal
CJPME welcomes supporters to what promises to be an interesting and inspiring event. "Ms. Zoabi is an articulate supporter of Palestinian human rights, both in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories, and we are proud to be giving Canadians an opportunity to hear her perspective," says CJPME President Thomas Woodley. He notes that the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is central to achieving stability and new levels of human development in the Middle East. "CJPME believes that Ms. Zoabi belongs to a new generation of Palestinian leaders, who are overcoming barriers and taboos in speaking out for the rights of their people," Woodley adds.
Ms. Zoabi (41) holds an M.A. in Communications and Media from Hebrew University, Jerusalem. In 2003 she co-founded the I'lam Centre for Arab Palestinians in Israel -- an NGO dedicated to the "democratization of media policies, media practices, and the media landscape in Israel" -- and became its executive director. She speaks Hebrew, Arabic and English and sits on the Knesset's Status of Women Committee. She impressed observers around the world with her dignity and courage in the face of the insults, obscenities and threats hurled at her by various Israeli MKs -- including the Interior Minister -- on her return to the Knesset after the flotilla raid.
