🍉 VanGran4Pal Community Newsletter (August 13, 2026)
Introduction
We have been enjoying the summer weather and the opportunities it presents for community to connect at bigger local events. It was great to see artists and business owners continuing advocacy for Palestine in their work at Pleasant Day festival, and to make new connections along the way. We were reminded of the importance of real person to person interactions to share news, discuss Palestine and grow advocacy.
This long read from Al Jazeera discusses the ‘platformicide’ of Palestinians and how Meta is committing digital rights violations against Palestinians and activists. A reminder to check in on accounts you follow intentionally, connect with alternative information sources and pay attention to what makes it to your feed, then understand how you can influence that.
There are a couple of great events coming up and one is today (Saturday) at Trout Lake - so scroll down to events for more details and to organize your calendar. If you know of notable local events coming up, please reply to this email and give us the details!
In this week's edition we’ve also got four quick actions for you. All of them are petitions or letters that are accessible to everyone to sign, but if you know any Canadian healthcare workers, we’d also love you to encourage them to follow BC physicians against genocide and to sign this letter to MP Anand to call for diplomatic action for the Protection of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
For Palestine, always.
Actions you can take
Release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital and a prominent voice of Gaza’s decimated healthcare sector, is still being arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities since his arrest on 27 December. A lawyer who visited him and other detainees, recently reported that he has been subjected to abuse and other ill-treatment. Join us in demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
Vote Palestine Vancouver
Vote Palestine, Vancouver!
Palestine is the moral litmus test of our times.
Please join us in supporting Palestinian human rights by pledging to vote for municipal candidates who endorse the Vancouver Palestine Platform.
The Vancouver Palestine Platform outlines key demands of Palestinian organizations and allies in Vancouver for municipal recognition of and action on the human rights of Palestinians, as enshrined in international and Canadian law.
You can use the Vote Palestine Vancouver site to review candidates’ stances on the Vancouver Palestine Platform when deciding how to vote on October 17th or have your organization endorse the platform to mobilize its constituents to vote.
We encourage everybody (voters or not) to ask your local candidates to endorse the four platform points below. Make it clear that this election, voters of conscience will only support candidates that stand up for Palestinian human rights and international law.
The Vancouver Palestine Platform
Demand 1: Condemn the Genocide
Demand 2: Sign the Apartheid Free Communities pledge
Demand 3: Cut ties with Israeli institutions, including reviewing municipal contracts
Demand 4: Recognize the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) framework of Anti-Palestinian Racism
Elbit Out of Canada!
Elbit is Israel’s biggest arms manufacturer. No company is profiting more from this genocide, and no company is more necessary for Israel’s ongoing military violence – not only in Palestine, but in Lebanon and Iran.
And yet, two and a half years on, Canadian suppliers continue to send parts to Elbit, and the Canadian government continues to purchase arms from Elbit. Elbit subsidiaries are lobbying our politicians and Elbit representatives are visiting our cities to hawk their weapons.
Enough is enough. Not one more part. Not one more dollar. Not one more ounce of legitimacy to the engine of Israel’s war machine.
Elbit OUT of Canada. Arms Embargo Now. Click here to email directly to executives at Elbit suppliers across the country.
Demand Accountability for Israel's Torture of Palestinian Prisoners
Call on Canada to use all available measures to uphold its responsibility under Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention to ensure violations of the Convention do not occur under any circumstance. This includes sanctions on Israel and an end to all support for the Israeli military, police, or prison services, whether through strategic support, weapons, technology, or investments.
Canada must do more than condemn. They must take real action.
Upcoming Events
Building Our Moments BBQ | August 15
Date & Location
📅 August 15, 2026
⏰ 12:00 - 4:00 PM
📍Trout Lake (grassy area near the beach, SE)
💲Free
About
🌭 We are gathering to picnic/bbq and table at so called Trout Lake Park Saturday Aug 15th, from 12-4p.
🗳️ This is an opportunity to connect while we promote some great actions and learning events, including UBC/AFC’s Vote Palestine Vancouver Pledge.
🍉 Come through if you can and please share widely. This is a fully public event!
📚 Option to bring a favourite revolutionary book to swap with comrades, and/or if anyone still wants to bring books for Black August prisoner donation, we’ll take them!
We’re promoting:
🇵🇸 AFC’s Vote Palestine Vancouver pledge https://www.votepalestinevancouver.org
🚌 MovementYVR’s LitPass campaign: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYBVpnXlluP/?igsh=cWZ4OWExbGVwd3ox
🗣️AOEC’s upcoming conference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaVrRsLmnsm/?igsh=dm96enJsdmdvZ3py
An Evening of Witness: Sailing for Gaza
Date & Location
📅 Thursday, August 20
⏰ 7:00 PM
📍Shaughnessy Heights United Church
💲Free
About
Join Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) and Canadian Friends of Sabeel (CFOS) at Shaughnessy Heights United Church in Vancouver BC to hear from Huwaida Arraf—co-founder of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and longtime Palestinian human rights activist. Hear about nonviolent resistance efforts and ongoing work for justice and dignity in Palestine.
Your registration helps FOSNA continue education, advocacy, and action for a just peace in the Holy Land. Please reserve your spot and share this event.
Doors open at 6:30pm!
Community Spotlights
Project Shaghaf Online Silent Auction | August 15-22
We are so excited to announce that our Silent Auction is officially coming soon!
From August 15th to August 22nd, you’ll have the chance to bid on incredible items, services, art, and gift cards from amazing local businesses and community members.. all to help us raise the remaining $7,500 for our Gaza school and sanctuary project! ❤️🩹🍉
Every single bid brings us closer to securing a safe, warm space for 240 children to learn, play, and heal.
✨ Want to contribute an item or service to the auction? It’s not too late! Fill out the form in @gazanonturtleisalnd bio or drop a comment below, and we’ll get you set up.
Stay tuned for the official preview line-up coming next week. You won’t want to miss this! 🇵🇸✊
Book Club
When the World Sleeps by Francesca Albanese
The first woman to serve as United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory conveys the spirit of a people through 10 unforgettable stories of resilience and humanity.
Francesca Albanese is the most lucid voice against Israel’s apartheid policies in Gaza and the West Bank, a voice that has been heard around the world when it comes to speaking the truth about the Palestinian genocide. In the wake of October 7, 2023, and Israel’s retaliatory war, the renowned Italian jurist has become a lightning rod for her staunch defense of human rights.
Reflecting on her years living in Jerusalem and her personal and professional journey toward understanding the Palestinian struggle, Albanese pays tribute to 10 people whose profoundly affecting stories opened her eyes, from Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces, to the remarkable Jewish scholars who acted as Albanese’s mentors: forensic architect Eyal Weizman, trauma expert Gabor Maté, and Holocaust historian Alon Confino.
When the World Sleeps is a courageous testimony of the harsh reality that Palestinians face. It raises critical questions about the past, present, and future of Palestine: What are the consequences of the occupation? Where is a refugee’s home? In what conditions do Palestinians live? With the uncertain end of the war, will there be a Palestinian state? Will Palestinians have the right to self-determination, and will they be able to live in peace, free at last from the coercion of Israel?