Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations said Canada’s decision to vote in favor of a humanitarian ceasefire was a necessary response to the desperate humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, as major international powers join calls for a ceasefire.
In an interview broadcast on Sunday rosemary burton liveBob Rae said Canada cannot remain silent and remain entrenched as the scale of destruction and civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip continues to rise.
“It was a change in the situation on the ground. The war has caused such great destruction in Gaza, caused such humanitarian hardship…and over the past three weeks.” [the calls of humanitarian agencies] “Of course this gives us some reflection, as it has become increasingly urgent,” he told CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.
Canada on Tuesday voted in favor of a non-binding motion in the United Nations General Assembly calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.” This marks a shift in voting patterns in Canada, which has traditionally supported Israel.
Canada’s UN Ambassador Bob Rae discusses Canada’s vote in support of the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and what this means for Canada’s response to the Middle East conflict.
“We cannot remain indifferent to what is happening in Gaza and the impact it is having on civilians. And I really think that led to the government’s decision to support this particular motion. I think so,” Ray said.
But he added that the vote does not signal Canada abandoning its support for Israel.
“There will be no change in Canada’s position regarding support for the state of Israel to live safely and across its borders. There is no change in our position regarding Hamas,” he said.
“What we have is a response to humanitarian situations in a way that shows what Canadians want: a government that shows compassion in situations that call for compassion.”
Canadian Jewish organizations and even the Liberal Party caucus condemned the decision to vote in favor of the UN resolution. Israel’s ambassador to Canada said this week that he was “very disappointed” in the vote.
“The motion was a call for an unconditional ceasefire. I do not support a call for an unconditional ceasefire. I do not believe the majority of my constituents support a call for an unconditional ceasefire,” Liberal MP Anthony said. Housefather said earlier this week.
“Now that Israel is at war, it is my duty to speak out when I believe Canada has abandoned its traditional position at the United Nations to support Israel.”
One of the main criticisms of the resolution was the lack of reference to Hamas.
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153 countries, including Canada, have voted in favor of a UN resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip. The United States joined Israel and eight other countries in voting against the resolution. Power & Politics spoke with David Cohen, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, about the upcoming vote and U.S. support for Israel.
In response to previous resolutions, Mr. Wray said Canada could not support a resolution that did not adequately condemn Hamas. An amendment to include such language in the latest resolution fell short of the required two-thirds of support, which Wray called “very disappointing.”
In separate statements released by the governments of Canada, Australia and New Zealand earlier Tuesday, the three countries specifically condemned Hamas.
“It cannot be unilateral. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields and lay down its weapons,” the statement said.
International Repercussions for Israel’s Actions
Canada’s vote is part of a broader hardening of the international community’s position on Israel’s actions in Gaza. US President Joe Biden issued the strongest condemnation of Israel’s campaign so far this week, saying Israel was losing international support. On Saturday, both Britain and Germany, which voted against the UN resolution earlier this week, supported a “sustainable ceasefire”. france on sunday It called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
The Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed more than 18,600 Palestinians since the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 240 others hostage. announced that he had been murdered.
Ray said the situation in Gaza was “as bad as people are hearing.”
The Ambassador emphasized that Canada needs to adapt to evolving local conditions and humanitarian disaster situations.
“We can’t be callous and not let it affect us. We have to be realistic about it,” he said.
“We are not used to hearing double standards from our friends,” Ofir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a wide-ranging interview that included criticism of the U.N. and Canada’s yes votes. he told CBC News. A resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Falk praised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments on Hamas on Wednesday.
