2023-12-13 01:03:31
After more than two months of hesitation, the Canadian government finally calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. He voted for a resolution to this effect before the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in New York on Tuesday followingnoon.
The resolution demands in particular “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and the release of hostages held by Hamas. On Friday, the United States blocked a similar resolution at another UN institution, the Security Council, where it holds a veto.
On Tuesday at noon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his support for a “lasting ceasefire” in Gaza for the first time ever, in the form of a joint statement with his counterparts from Australia and New York. Zeeland.
“We support the urgent efforts of the international community to achieve a lasting ceasefire. This ceasefire cannot be unilateral,” we can read in the document released Tuesday noon.
The joint letter adds that the three countries are “deeply concerned by the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the continued risks faced by all Palestinian civilians.”
In a press scrum, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed that Canada “joins the international call for a humanitarian ceasefire” and would vote at the UN accordingly. She explained that it was important to show support for Israel following the terrorist attacks of October 7, and that Canada’s new position was necessary to break the “cycle of violence” observed between Israel and Palestine.
Canada’s new position displeased Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather. “In my opinion, to end the hostilities, Hamas must release all the hostages and lay down their arms and surrender. […] I do not agree with our vote at the UN today,” wrote the Jewish elected official on his social networks.
His liberal colleague Joël Lightbound, MP for the Quebec region, for his part was delighted with the latest developments. “Canada is on the right side of history. Bravo to everyone who worked on it, and thank you Mélanie Joly and Justin Trudeau,” he said. published on his page. Mr. Lightbound was one of the Liberal MPs who were already calling for a cease-fire.
Ultimately, 153 countries voted, like Canada, for the non-binding motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza before the UN General Assembly. Twenty-three countries abstained, and only ten opposed it, including Israel and the United States.
Long-awaited request
Ottawa’s tone towards the Israeli government had been gradually rising over the past month, but Justin Trudeau had always opted for terms like a “humanitarian pause” or even “lasting peace” in the Gaza Strip.
Two weeks ago, the Prime Minister still ruled out the possibility of Canada calling for a ceasefire. “I continue to call for the need for lasting peace in the region, including a two-state solution,” Mr. Trudeau declared at a press conference in Newfoundland.
Justin Trudeau has been under heavy pressure since the start of the conflict to demand an end to hostilities. The Bloc Québécois, the New Democratic Party, the Green Party of Canada and more than thirty members of his own party have been publicly calling for a ceasefire for many weeks.
In an interview with Le Devoir last week, the MP for Scarborough Centre, the Liberal Salma Zahid, who chairs the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group, affirmed that “support for a call for a ceasefire is increasing the House of Commons “. The latter had also sent two letters to the Prime Minister to ask for his support.
A parliamentary petition sponsored by NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice and calling for a ceasefire has collected more than 286,700 signatures — making it the most supported online petition in the history of Parliament.
Lack of clarity
Before entering the chamber for question period on Tuesday, the Prime Minister stopped to make a short statement in which he did not use the term “ceasefire.” He also did not respond to journalists’ questions.
The wording of its joint declaration with Australia and New Zealand was not considered very clear by the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party.
“We feel that the Liberal government, Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Joly are in hot water. They are doing a kind of stylistic exercise with their language, emphasized Alexandre Boulerice. We come up with new terminology and we ask ourselves: what does it mean? Isn’t this a loophole, a red herring? »
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, for his part pleaded for an international military presence in the region. “It’s nice to say “ceasefire”, it fits very well in a conversation, except that if there is no way to implement it, it makes no sense,” he said at a press briefing.
The new Canadian position comes as the Israeli army continues its offensive once morest Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the expiration of the seven-day truce, the army has tightened its grip on this besieged territory. According to a UN official, the population is experiencing “hell on earth”. The death toll in the Gaza Strip rose further on Tuesday, reaching 18,412 people killed, the vast majority of them women and children. In Israel, the attack that started the war left 1,200 dead, mostly civilians.
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