Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canada will not call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas right now, but that the country is “open” and “supports the idea” of a “humanitarian pause.”
• Also read: Israel-Hamas war: Despite pressure, no ceasefire request from Canada is in sight
• Also read: Israel-Hamas conflict: 33 federal MPs call for a ceasefire
• Also read: A ceasefire in Gaza “would only benefit Hamas”
The prime minister was hot on his heels before entering the House of Commons on Tuesday, assuring that Canada’s priority at this time was “protecting innocent civilians” and releasing hostages held by Hamas.
He explained that Canada supported the establishment of humanitarian corridors but was only paying lip service and, after repeated questions, “not a ceasefire.”
AFP
On Friday, 33 federal elected representatives from the Liberal Party, NDP and Green Party signed a letter calling on Justin Trudeau to call for a ceasefire.
The Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party have spoken out in favor of a humanitarian ceasefire called for by the United Nations.
“We support the temporary pauses on these humanitarian grounds, but continue to recognize that Israel has the right to defend itself and take steps to eliminate the threat from Hamas,” conservative Michael Chong said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon.
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Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly had already commented on the ceasefire, but remained more unclear than her leader. “I have heard the position of several of my colleagues,” she said Monday.
Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Bill Blair said Hamas was a threat to the entire world that must be “eliminated.”
The humanitarian “ceasefire” differs from a ceasefire in that it represents a temporary pause in an armed conflict on humanitarian grounds. The ceasefire would imply a desire to end the conflict in order to open up the possibility of a diplomatic solution.