The opening of a Quebec delegation in Tel Aviv in the midst of the conflict with Hamas sends the wrong message to Arab countries, says the Parti Québécois. Minister Biron, recalls Pascal Paradis, nevertheless wishes to make the new office the “gateway” of Quebec to the Middle East.
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The day after Iran’s attack on Israel, Mr. Paradis said he feared an escalation of conflict in the region.
Speaking on the sidelines of the PQ National Council in Drummondville, the MP for Jean-Talon asked the Legault government to freeze the deployment of the new Quebec office in Tel Aviv, in order to avoid offending Arab countries in the region. .
“There is currently an armed conflict which is causing tens of thousands of victims. Now is not the time to open a Quebec representation in Tel Aviv. It’s a bad idea,” says Pascal Paradis.
The director of the office, he said, must stay in Montreal. Recently, we learned that he had gone to Israel for almost a month to open the offices.
“We must stop deploying, moving forward with the opening of the Quebec office in Tel Aviv, as if nothing had happened. There is an armed conflict which is causing tens of thousands of victims, women and children. It’s Unicef that tells us. Thousands of children have died and we are opening an office,” underlines Pascal Paradis.
“And the minister tells us that it is notably a bridgehead for doing business with surrounding countries. What we are asking for is a freeze on the deployment of this office,” he added.