(Ottawa) Canada, Australia and New Zealand are calling for a “lasting ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas. This is the first time, since the start of the war, on October 7, that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has used this term.
“We hope that the cessation of hostilities will be restored and we support the urgent efforts of the international community to achieve a lasting ceasefire,” read a joint statement from the prime ministers of the three countries.
“This ceasefire cannot be unilateral. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields and lay down their arms,” it was also written in this press release published Tuesday.
Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and his counterparts Anthony Albanese of Australia and Christopher Luxon of New Zealand say they recognize “Israel’s right to exist and defend itself” in accordance with international humanitarian law.
“Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. We are gravely concerned by the reduction of the security zone reserved for civilians in Gaza. The price to pay for defeating Hamas cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” they argue.
The trio adds that “there is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza”, and pledges to work to “establish a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live in safety within internationally recognized borders.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand form, with the United States and the United Kingdom, the Five Eyes security alliance.
At the United Nations Security Council last Friday, the United States used its veto to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, while the United Kingdom abstained. The other 13 member countries supported the resolution.
Amnesty international nuance
This position certainly represents “a step in the right direction”, but it nonetheless remains insufficient, argues France-Isabelle Langlois, director of the French-speaking Canadian section of Amnesty International.
“They pit Israel and Hamas against each other as if Hamas were an army. Hamas is not an army […], and Israel’s response is completely disproportionate. It’s beyond measure,” she said in an interview.
Even if the release will put a “little pressure”, Amnesty International believes that “more” is needed, because “it’s a real massacre at the moment [dans la bande de Gaza] “, and we need “an immediate, lasting ceasefire, not just three or four days, and that the States demand it”, believes Ms.me Langlois.
Beyond Words
Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet, whose party called for a ceasefire, questioned the request to “lay down arms” which is formulated in the press release, since this is equivalent to asking for a surrender, a- he raised.
“This is not a one-sided process,” he noted. It’s nice to say ceasefire, it fits very well in a conversation, but if there are no means to implement it, it makes no sense. And the means is an international military-type presence in Gaza. “.
The New Democratic Party also supports a ceasefire. The team was the first to request it.
The Conservative Party opposes it.