Foreign Minister Issues Statement After Hamas Praises Canada

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly speaks during a news conference in Ottawa concerning the situation in Israel, on October 11, 2023. the Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has issued a statement seeking to clarify her government’s stance on a ceasefire in Gaza after a video from a senior Hamas official commending Canada’s position drew attention online.

“Hamas are terrorists. Our statement was clear: for a ceasefire to be sustainable, Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms. They have no future in Gaza,” said Ms. Joly in reference to a Dec. 12 statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

She added her government continues to “unequivocally” condemn Hamas’ terrorist attacks launched on Oct. 7, which caused an “appalling loss of life.”

The Liberal government changed its stance on the matter of a ceasefire on Dec. 12 after weeks of resisting calling for one, instead seeking a “humanitarian pause.”

The same day, Canada also voted for a United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire, with the text of the resolution saying it “does not condemn Hamas or make any specific reference to the extremist group.”

The vote has angered Jewish groups and some Liberal MPs also broke rank to criticize the government.

Meanwhile, Hamas expressed satisfaction with Ottawa’s change of stance in a video posted online on Dec. 18.

“The Hamas movement is watching the growing calls by several Western governments to end the aggression on Gaza, in addition to the other calls worldwide demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza Strip, the last of which was a statement by Canada, Australia, and New Zealand backing [a] sustainable ceasefire in Gaza,” said Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad.

“We welcome these developments and consider them in the right direction to our isolation [of] the fascist Israeli government globally.”

Hamas, which Canada considers a terrorist entity, launched raids inside Israel on Oct. 7, leading to the death of about 1,200 people and the kidnapping of about 240.

The Canadian government immediately said it supported Israel’s right to self-defence according to international law.

At the same time, Liberal ministers have denounced the heavy civilian toll in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made some of his most critical comments towards Israel during a year-end interview with CBC News published Dec. 21, saying Israel’s actions in Gaza could jeopardize future support for a Jewish state.

“The voices from Israel’s strongest friends, like Canada, like Australia, especially like the United States ... are becoming increasingly concerned ... that the short-term actions being taken by Israel are actually putting at risk the long-term safety and even support for a Jewish state into the future,” he said.

The prime minister in mid-November also sharply criticized Israel’s actions, saying “The world is witnessing this killing of women and children, of babies. This has to stop.”

“I have been clear that the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules,” said Mr. Trudeau.

This drew a public rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust,” he wrote on X.