(Ottawa) The Liberal government insists Hamas must lay down its arms and surrender to Israel after the armed militant group praised Canada for being one of the countries calling for a Gaza ceasefire.
Posted at 6:28 p.m.
Dylan Robertson The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated at a news conference in Toronto on Thursday that Hamas “cannot play a role in the future government of Gaza or in the two-state solution” in the Middle East, citing the possible creation of a peaceful Palestinian State next to the State of Israel.
Hamas released a video message on the Telegram platform last Monday in which one of its senior officials, Ghazi Hamad, discussed the joint statement that Mr. Trudeau and his counterparts from Australia and New Zealand released last week. Precedent for the conflict in the Middle East East.
That Dec. 12 statement came shortly before Canada voted for a non-binding resolution at the United Nations calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas – a significant change from Canada's usual policy at the United Nations.
In the English-language video, Mr. Hamad mentions the statement from Canada, Australia and New Zealand after highlighting “the growing calls from several Western governments for an end to the aggression against Gaza.” He says Hamas welcomes these steps “in the right direction” to isolate Israel.
However, he carefully avoided mentioning that the three countries' joint statement also condemned the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,200 people, including hundreds of civilians. Hamas militants also took 240 people hostage that day.
Human shield
The senior Palestinian official's video message also made no mention of the three prime ministers' calls for a ceasefire with Hamas.
“This ceasefire cannot be unilateral,” the joint statement dated December 12 said. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields and lay down their weapons. Hamas has no role in the future government of the Gaza Strip. »
The statement by Canada, Australia and New Zealand also recognizes that Israel has the right to exist and defend itself while respecting international humanitarian law. “The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” the prime ministers said.
According to local authorities, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began bombing Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attacks, and nearly 85 percent of the territory's 2.3 million residents have been forced from their homes.
The Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations shared an excerpt from the video on “war” in the Middle East on Wednesday.
“This is what happens when Hamas is not held accountable for its actions!” writes the organization, which last week said it was “disgusted” by Canada’s vote at the United Nations. “Hamas thanked the Canadian government for its support “for the global isolation of the fascist Israeli government and the end of the longest occupation of our time.” »
Hours later, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly released a statement on
“Our message was clear: for a ceasefire to be lasting, Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down their weapons,” Secretary Joly wrote. Hamas does not represent the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. »
Mr. Trudeau did not explain Thursday how Palestinians would govern themselves without Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007. Instead, the prime minister reiterated Canada's condemnation of the group.
“Hamas is responsible for the cold-blooded execution of more than 1,000 Israeli citizens on October 7 and is committed to continuing these attacks for a long time,” Trudeau said. We must build a safe and free Israel alongside a safe and free Palestinian state,” he reminded.
“This is the work we must do and we are absolutely committed to this task. That is why we are calling for humanitarian pauses as quickly as possible and are urgently calling for a ceasefire with our international partners. »
Mr. Trudeau said discussions with other G7 countries as well as those in the Middle East are aimed at such an outcome.