Joly Says Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Is ‘Number One Priority’

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly speaks with reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa on May 21, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada is prioritizing negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as ensuring tensions in the Middle East do not escalate.

“We are working every day to support parties to get to a ceasefire. This is my number one priority; a ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” Joly told reporters at the Liberal cabinet retreat in Halifax on Aug. 26.

“At the same time, we call on parties to make sure that there’s no escalation, because obviously we need to bring back peace to the Middle East.”

Joly said she had recently spoken with Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty about a ceasefire. “It’s in Israel’s long-term security interest to do so, and it is, of course, in the interest of all the peoples living in that region. And that’s what we’re doing,” she said.

Joly said she had also spoken with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan. On Aug. 25, Sullivan told reporters that the United States has been concerned about the conflict between Israel and Hamas potentially “escalating into an all-out regional war.”

“We have worked round the clock with partners and allies, moving military assets, engaging in intensive diplomacy, both publicly and privately behind the scenes, to avert that outcome,” he said.

The conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, with a series of Hamas terrorist attacks that left 1,200 Israeli civilians dead. Hamas also kidnapped around 250 Israeli civilians, which the government has been attempting to rescue. Israeli authorities have said they believe a large portion of the hostages are likely dead.

When asked by reporters whether Canada should adjust its messaging on the Middle East, Sullivan said each country will have its own perspective, but that they all “share a fundamentally common objective” of peace and stability in the region, security for Israel, and a “path forward for the Palestinian people.”

Canada signed on to an Aug. 4 statement by the G7, which expressed “deep concern at the heightened level of tension in the Middle East,” and urged the countries involved to “refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence” and work to lower tensions.

However, Canada and Japan did not sign on to an Aug. 12 statement by the organization endorsing a call from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to renew talks that aim to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

The statement also expressed support for Israel against “Iranian aggression and against attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups” and called for Iran to stand down its threats of military retaliation.

In April, Iran launched a rocket and drone attack against Israel in retaliation for Israeli military strikes in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building. Around 99 percent of the drones and missiles Iran launched were intercepted by Israel.

In response to the assassination of Hamas’s political leader in Tehran in August, Tehran indicated it was considering launching another larger attack against Israel.