The Canadian government announced this week that it would not sell weapons to Israel amid its ongoing conflict against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. The news came as Israel eliminated the third-ranking leader of the organization and prepared for an attack on the final Hamas stronghold of Rafah.
The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Liberal) said this week that it would halt the arms sales. Canada sold about $90 million in weapons to Israel over the last nine years.
The move came after Parliament passed a non-binding resolution calling for an end to arms exports. The resolution sought to “suspend all trade in military goods and technology with Israel and increase efforts to stop the illegal trade of arms, including to Hamas.”
The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly announced today during an Interview that Canada will be Halting any further Arms Shipments to Israel following a Non-Binding Vote in the House of Commons; with the Vote coming following claims by Extremist Left-Wing Members… pic.twitter.com/qnWhgQcLd5
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 20, 2024
The resolution that eventually passed called to “cease the further authorisation and transfer of arms exports to Israel to ensure compliance with Canada’s arms export regime and increase efforts to stop the illegal trade of arms, including to Hamas.”
The resolution passed the House of Commons 204-117, with three of the left-wing parties voting mostly in favor. Only the country’s Conservative Party members voted largely against it.
Canada has not sent any weapons to Israel since the start of the current war.
The move was condemned by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who said that he was “sorry that the government of Canada is taking this step that undermines Israel’s right to self-defense in the face of Hamas murderers who carried out terrible crimes against humanity and against innocent Israelis, including the elderly, women and children.”
“History will judge the current acts of Canada harshly,” he said.
Canada has taken stances on both sides of the current conflict since its start last October. Trudeau’s government argued against South Africa’s argument at the International Court of Justice that Israel was committing a “genocide.”
Canada also began refunding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following evidence that its members had participated in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that killed 1,200 people.
