Representatives of the Jewish community in Canada had greeted with some apprehension the arrival of Justin Trudeau to power in 2015. After the unequivocal support for Israel under the reign of Stephen Harper, the Liberals had promised to realign foreign policy Canadian by taking the side of the Palestinian cause more often in international forums.
One of the new government’s first moves in this direction consisted of restoring Canadian funding to UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees. The Harper government stopped its funding in 2010 after accusing UNRWA of maintaining links with Hamas. The agency faced allegations that foreign aid had been diverted to benefit Hamas’s military activities, as well as compensation for the families of Hamas militants killed in suicide bombings and education. pro-Hamas in Palestinian schools.
“We really carried out a thorough investigation into these various allegations, we had very honest discussions with the management of UNRWA. We had satisfactory answers,” Liberal Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau indicated in 2016, announcing funding of around 25 million per year for the agency. “We are the ones who have the most rigorous measures in terms of monitoring. » However, certain Jewish groups were not convinced by the assurances of the Trudeau government and have also called on it numerous times to reverse this decision, including last June, when Mr.me Bibeau at International Development, Harjit Sajjan, announced the renewal of Canadian aid to UNRWA for the next four years.
In 2019, Canada voted for the first time for a UN resolution affirming the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, marking a break with the past. B’nai Brith and the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations had denounced, in vain, this change in policy. Canada has since voted for similar resolutions at the UN three times. On the other hand, when it comes to other UN resolutions seeking to criticize the Jewish state in one way or another, he always aligns himself with Israel. However, many representatives of the Canadian Jewish community miss the Harper era, when Canada stood out on the international scene due to a pro-Israel policy that was anything but ambiguous.
Since the attacks by Hamas militants on Israeli civilians plunged the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into its bloodiest phase in fifty years on October 7, Mr. Trudeau has left no doubt about Canada’s position regarding -screw Israel’s right to retaliate forcefully against Hamas. Like almost every other Western leader who is siding with Israel in this situation, he is leaving ample room for maneuver for the unity government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do what he believes is necessary to eradicate the threat Hamas poses to the security of the Jewish State and its citizens.
Certainly, Mr. Trudeau and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, gently reminded Israel of its obligations to respect international law in carrying out its military strikes on Gaza. But for now, Mr. Trudeau does not dare criticize the total siege imposed by Israel, which deprives the approximately 2.4 million residents of Gaza of water, food and electricity, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis without precedent in this area where deprivation of the population is common, even in the best of times.
“We continue to look for ways to support civilians — both Palestinian and Israeli — and ensure that as many civilians as possible remain safe during this terrible conflict,” Mr. Trudeau said at a press briefing on Thursday. while placing responsibility for the war on the shoulders of Hamas leaders. Not without adding that their decision “to take innocent people hostage is an example of their barbarity”. Mr. Harper could not have said it better.
The Trudeau government can be expected to continue to follow the American lead by privately lobbying for Israel to open a humanitarian corridor allowing international organizations to distribute food and medical aid to the population of Gaza. The Israeli government is demanding that Hamas release some 150 hostages seized in its attacks in Israel, including possibly 4 Canadians and 14 Americans, before lifting the siege on Gaza.
But if the situation persists, the Trudeau government may be forced to raise its tone towards the Israeli government, if not because Canadian public opinion is becoming more critical of the suffering of the Palestinians, who are suffering the consequences of this war. Until then, Mr. Trudeau will seek to demonstrate that there is no distance between Canada and Israel in what is proving to be a defining moment in its history. In other words, he is doing exactly what Mr. Harper would have done in similar circumstances.
Based in Montreal, Konrad Yakabuski is a columnist at Globe and Mail.