(Ottawa) Canada has once again broken its years-long policy and voted in favor of a United Nations motion criticizing Israel over concerns about the viability of a two-state solution.
Posted at 8:29 p.m.
Dylan Robertson
The Canadian Press
“The dynamics in the broader region make it abundantly clear that conflict management, as opposed to genuine conflict resolution, is not in fact a sustainable path to peace, security and prosperity,” he said on Tuesday. Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, during a UN plenary session.
For years, Canada has supported Israel in votes at the international body, but the federal Liberals changed that policy a year ago, citing concerns about policies that undermine Ottawa’s decades-old policy , which advocates for a possible Palestinian country that would exist in peace alongside Israel.
The move also came amid widespread concern among humanitarian groups and legal experts over Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law in its campaign in the Gaza Strip.
UN member states adopted a motion by 157 votes to 8, with seven abstentions, reaffirming the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and condemning the use of force against Palestinian civilians.
The motion passed Tuesday also calls for a peace conference and is similar to motions repeatedly presented before the UN.
She denounced “terrorism against civilians on all sides” but did not name Hamas or any Palestinian militant groups, drawing criticism from Israel’s defenders.
The ambassador said the motion should have been more balanced, but that Ottawa wanted to express its concern about the viability of a Palestinian state.
“We voted in favor of this resolution, like many, many others [l’ont fait] to signal our strong commitment to the two-state solution,” he said.
Bob Rae reiterated his condemnation of the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and called for the return of all hostages, including the body of Canadian citizen Judih Weinstein Haggai.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Bob Rae, Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
“All Palestinians deserve to be led by a legitimate and representative government without the participation of a terrorist organization like Hamas,” he told the UN plenary session.
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong denounced Tuesday’s vote as singling out Israel, writing on Platform X that supporting the motion would “reverse Canada’s long-standing position on Israel.” He added that a Conservative government would “ensure alignment with our closest democratic allies”.
Tuesday’s vote was supported by the United Kingdom, Japan and most European Union states.
The Advisory Center for Jewish and Israel Relations said liberals had voted against similar motions for nearly a decade.
“Today’s reversal to vote yes instead represents an abandonment of Canada’s long-standing, principled foreign policy,” the group wrote on X.
