Unlike their French counterparts, the major political parties of Quebec and Canada all attach the label of “terrorist” to Hamas, after an unprecedented attack by this group against Israeli civilians on Saturday.
“Like Canada, we consider Hamas to be a terrorist group,” said Québec Solidaire spokesperson for international relations, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, in a written statement on Tuesday. He says he distinguishes between Hamas and Palestinian civilians who are victims of “the serious repercussions of these terrorist acts”.
Quebec solidaire officials had not publicly used the word “terrorist” to describe Hamas before The duty seeks comment from them on Tuesday.Party co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, for example, limited himself to denouncing “any attack against civilians”, adding that “we must protect innocent lives everywhere, in Israel and in Palestine. »
“I condemn the [gouvernement] far-right Israeli. I condemn the actions of Hamas. I condemn the apartheid suffered by the Palestinians,” added solidarity representative of Palestinian origin Ruba Ghazal.
Difficult reporting
Julia Grignon, professor of law at Laval University, draws the parallel with France Insoumise, an opposition party marked on the left in France, which finds itself under fire for its hesitation to describe Hamas as ” terrorist.”
“ [Les adhérents à ce courant politique] are incapable of doing so because they have decided to side with the Palestinians. And they consider that a situation of apartheid, a situation of oppression that the Palestinians have been experiencing since 1948, in a certain way, could justify or explain why they come to such extreme means against Israel,” explains She.
Although she calls Israel an “occupying power,” the international law expert is categorical: Hamas’s actions aim to “sow terror,” which makes it a terrorist group.
At the federal level, the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Jagmeet Singh, also used the term “terrorist”. “Hamas’ terrorist attacks against thousands of innocent Israeli civilians are unjustifiable,” read a lengthy statement released Monday.
The orange party rejects any “military solution” to the crisis which has cost the lives of hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian civilians and simple tourists, including at least two Canadians.
International law, according to Trudeau
Monday evening, the Prime Minister of Canada shared the stage in Ottawa with his main rival and Conservative leader during a solidarity rally in support of Israel.
“Terrorist Hamas is not a “resistance”. [Ce] are terrorists, and no one in Canada should support them, let alone celebrate them,” Justin Trudeau said bluntly. The Liberal leader said Israel had “the right to defend itself,” but added: “in accordance with international law.”
This allusion is ambiguous, according to Professor Julia Grignon. She believes the sentence insinuates that international rules give Israel the right to retaliate, which she believes is inaccurate. The phrase could be understood as a warning that Israel cannot overstep international law in its response.
The expert does not appreciate that the leader of the official opposition, Pierre Poilievre, for his part, made no mention of international law during his speech. “If we ignore international law, it’s chaos,” she said.
Before an enthusiastic audience, Mr. Poilievre called on Canada on Monday to “stand with the Israelis as they exercise their right and obligation to defend themselves; to provide them with all the support we can. »
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, denounced “unequivocally the violent and terrorist provocation of Hamas” on X.
Protesters disappoint Legault
In Quebec, all political parties other than Québec solidaire rushed to condemn the “terrorist” attacks by Hamas this weekend. “These are horrible gestures,” protested Prime Minister François Legault, before denouncing the demonstrations of support for Hamas during a demonstration in Montreal on Sunday.
“It’s shameful, it’s unacceptable. And I am really very disappointed to see these people who allow themselves to take actions like that in such tragic, sad moments,” he said on Tuesday.
The Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) also deplored the “barbaric acts” perpetrated by Hamas along the Gaza Strip. Israel “absolutely” had the right to respond, according to Liberal MP Brigitte Garceau. “We support Israel’s right to defend itself against acts of violence,” she said.
In a statement sent Tuesday, new PQ MP Pascal Paradis stressed that “the glorification of the Hamas terrorist attack during a demonstration in Montreal at the weekend was revolting.”
The Quebec Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie says it is adopting a “neutral” position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This “to achieve a lasting settlement of the conflict, in compliance with international law”, specifies a note obtained by The duty this summer.
Hamas has been on the list of terrorist organizations recognized by Public Safety Canada since 2002.