(Ottawa) Canada is not about to demand the ceasefire requested by around thirty elected representatives of the House of Commons – Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly sees it more as a medium or long-term project term.
“I hear the position of several of my colleagues. I hear the fact that Canadians expect Canada to play a balanced role, and at the same time, a role based on our position which has always been that of being a constructive friend and ally of Israel, friend of the Palestinian people,” she said at a press conference in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
“That’s why it’s important for me to be in the regions, to talk with my counterparts, to talk with the Palestinian Authority, because one day this war is going to end. One day, the conflict will end, and that is why it is necessary to talk about political dialogue,” added the head of Canadian diplomacy on Monday.
In short: while managing the crisis in the short term, we must prepare the ground for a possible cessation of hostilities “in the medium and long term” to ensure peace and stability in the region, she insisted, reiterating the position of Canada in favor of a two-state solution.
“I have been clear that Israel has the right to defend itself. At the same time, I also spoke with my counterpart from the Palestinian Authority, I referred in my speech to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,” underlined Mr.me Joly.
Last Friday, 33 MPs from three parties represented in the House of Commons, including 23 Liberal elected officials, urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to demand an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“We call on Canada to join the growing number of countries calling for an immediate ceasefire. Canada must act to prevent other children from being killed,” they insisted in a letter that no MP from the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois signed.
Jagmeet Singh returns to the charge
The New Democratic Party (NDP) is the only party recognized in the House to officially call for a cease-fire.
PHOTO PETER POWER, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Jagmeet Singh
Its leader, Jagmeet Singh, took up the pen to try to convince Justin Trudeau to grant the request.
“A growing number of MPs are calling on you to advocate for a ceasefire. These elected officials, including some from your own party, are adding their voices to a growing number of international calls,” he wrote in a letter dated October 22.
The New Democratic leader wants an emergency meeting to be held “to discuss how we can work together to end the violence with a ceasefire.”
“Perhaps not realistic”, according to the Bloc
On the side of the Bloc Québécois, leader Yves-François Blanchet judges that it is unrealistic to demand an immediate cessation of hostilities between the IDF and Hamas.
“Everyone wants a ceasefire. I want a ceasefire […] We all want that; how can you not want a ceasefire? “, he said at a press briefing last Wednesday.
“For the moment, saying it for the sake of saying it is a posture that is perhaps not realistic,” he regretted.
Tel Aviv evacuation flights end
Minister Joly confirmed that the last evacuation flight between Tel Aviv and Athens was this Monday. In total, more than 1,600 Canadians will board the 19 flights operated by the Canadian Armed Forces. On the West Bank side, 45 Canadians were transported by bus to Amman, Jordan, “and this work continues,” said Canada’s chief diplomat. As for the fate of the hundreds of Canadians stuck in the Gaza Strip, it remains uncertain, despite the fact that humanitarian convoys were able to cross the border between Egypt and the enclave, at the Rafah post.