(Quebec) Québec solidaire (QS) and the Parti Québécois (PQ) abstained on Tuesday from voting for a motion on the conflict in Israel which called in particular to condemn the terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas.
During separate press scrums after the vote, representatives of both parties deplored the lack of rigor of the Legault government, which proposed an unbalanced motion, according to them.
“There was a whole other side missing: the protection of Palestinian civilians and deploring the deaths on the Palestinian side too,” lamented QS spokesperson for international relations, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon added that amendments had been proposed to the government, but that they had all been rejected.
The PQ wanted the motion to “remind that Israel’s response must respect international law” and that it “condemn violations of international law on both sides.”
“It’s not much of a request, it’s really the basis,” declared Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon. We have to be rigorous and that lacks rigor. »
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister François Legault maintained that Israel had “the right to defend itself by attacking Hamas.”
“We all hope that civilians, on both sides, are not affected, but […] I can understand that Israel wants to defend itself so that Hamas stops doing things like that,” he said.
Mr. Cliche-Rivard recalled on Tuesday that a hospital had been bombed in Gaza, killing more than 500 people. He called the attack a “war crime.”
Hamas militants recently launched a surprise attack in southern Israel, killing more than 1,400 people. More than 2,000 people are believed to have died in Gaza during subsequent Israeli bombings.
The motion presented Tuesday by Quebec Minister of International Relations Martine Biron called on the National Assembly to condemn “the terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas against Israel and its people.”
She deplored that “the escalation of violence had led to the deaths of numerous civilians” and offered “her most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims”.
The motion also called for “the immediate and unconditional release of civilian populations taken hostage by Hamas” and “respect for international law by all parties”.
Finally, she reaffirmed Quebec’s support for a lasting solution “to ensure the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace” and asked to observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims.
Members of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) and the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) voted in favor of the motion. QS and the PQ explained that they were not for it, but they were not against it either.
“It was out of the question to beat this motion, it has a priori and paragraphs which are entirely justified and which we support, but the picture was not complete,” said Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
Even if they abstained from the vote, the solidarity and PQ participants participated in the minute of silence.