Thank you again for publishing this piece. I encourage you to continue to draw attention to topics that are often sidelined in Canadian mainstream media. I hope that you will consider updating the article so that readers are provided with information that is accurate and contextually accurate.
Dear Mr. Adshae and Ms. Jardine,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding the news article that was posted online on October 28, 2025: Group Holds Weekly Vigil for Palestine.
I appreciate that you published a piece about the group in Pictou who are standing each week in solidarity with the ongoing genocide that Israel is inflicting on the people of Gaza. They are not alone as 1000’s of Canadians have been participating in rallies and vigils since October 2023.
However, there were several statements in the article that were not accurate and some important context that was missing:
- Hanna called what Israel is doing a ‘genocide’. Hanna and her group are not standing alone when they call what Israel is commiting is a ‘genocide’. Leading genocide scholars and the United Nations have declared as recently as September 2025 that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It is important that readers understand that the international committee is growing in its understanding of the depth of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
- Founded in 1987, Hamas has vowed that one of its intended goals is to destroy Israel. In 2017, Hamas presented a new charter which softened Hamas’ stance on Israel by accepting the idea of a Palestinian state in territories occupied by Israel in the six-day war of 1967. An occupation, which the International Court of Justice in the Hague, has declared illegal. The new document also stated that Hamas is not seeking war with the Jewish people – only with the Zionism that drives the occupation of Palestine.
- But the Israeli response has been so absolutely disproportionately cruel and horrific. Israel’s response to October 7 is not just “disproportionately cruel and horrific” but is in violation of International Humanitarian Law: Parties to a conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operations only against military objectives.” With an estimated 72,000 Palestinian deaths and 92% of housing units and about 70% of all structures damaged and destroyed, it is clear that Israel’s response is both disproportionate and non-discriminatory.
Thank you again for publishing this piece. I encourage you to continue to draw attention to topics that are often sidelined in Canadian mainstream media. I hope that you will consider updating the article so that readers are provided with information that is accurate and contextually accurate.
Sincerely,
Debbie Hubbard
Kelowna, British Columbia