“Canada can and must do the same,” the Ontarian elected official and ex-minister of housing Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, on “X” wrote on Thursday evening.
Same story on the side of his colleagues deputies Salma Zahid and Fares Al Soud.
“Peace [au Proche-Orient] requires justice; Justice requires recognition, ”decided the latter.
France had just become the first member country of the G7 to commit to recognizing Palestine as a state.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had to formalize this recognition in September, during the General Assembly of United Nations.
France will therefore join more than 140 other countries which recognize the state of Palestine.
Questioned Friday to know if the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agrees with the idea that Canada should do like France, his team has not answered the question.
The office of Mr. Carney rather, by way of response, referred the Canadian press to a publication “X” made Thursday evening by the Prime Minister who does not mention a recognition, in the short term, of a Palestinian state.
“Canada supports a solution to two states that guarantees peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, can be read there. Canada will work intensively in all bodies to achieve this goal. ”
The predecessor of Mr. Carney, Justin Trudeau, had opened the door, as early as May 2024, that the recognition of a Palestinian state by Canada was done before the complete establishment of a two -state solution. “Not necessarily as the last step,” he said.
In addition to the pressure today exerted by liberal deputies, the new democratic party reiterates its calls for Canada to recognize the Palestinian state. Political training has presented various motions in the room on this subject over the years.
Differences to the G7
The announcement of President Macron has also exposed the differences to the G7, more specifically among the informal group called E3, which brings together France, the United Kingdom and Germany. The leaders of this group had a call on Friday.
Germany has noted that he does not intend to recognize, in the immediate future, a Palestinian state. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that such recognition must be “one of the stages in a way to peace”.
Mr. Starmer faces an increasing pressure of elected officials, especially within his own political training, to recognize, in the short term, the Palestinian State. The British Secretary for Health, Wes Streeting, notably asked for an announcement in this sense “while there is still a state of Palestine to recognize”.
Humanitarian aid blocking
Both the leaders of the countries of the E3 and Mr. Carney condemned the blocking of humanitarian aid in Gaza by Israel, while more and more deaths linked to malnutrition occur.
“This refusal of humanitarian aid is a violation of international law,” said Canadian Prime Minister in his declaration on Thursday evening.
Liberal deputy Salma Zahid shared Mr. Carney’s declaration, adding that “Canada must assist these strong words with concrete actions”.
According to her, this includes the recognition of Palestine as a state, as well as more severe sanctions against Israel.
Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed denies that the Israeli government is blocking humanitarian aid entry.
“Ultimately, Israel will not support any aid delivery system that is unaware of what is obvious: Hamas uses aid as a weapon to finance its terror campaigns against the Israelis and Palestinians,” he said in a written statement.
Thousands of deaths
The war in the Middle East has continued since the attack on October 7, 2023 led by Hamas.
Hamas fighters removed 251 people during this offensive and killed around 1,200 others, mainly civilians.
More than 59,000 Palestinians were killed during the war, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. This count does not distinguish between activists and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the victims are women and children. The UN and other international organizations consider it the most reliable data source on the victims.
– With the Associated Press