Maintaining an official representation in Tel Aviv makes Quebec complicit in the war crimes and ethnic cleansing carried out by the government of Israel in the Gaza Strip, a member of Quebec Solidaire (QS) declared Thursday.
Haroun Bouazzi was outraged by the resolution of the Minister of International Relations, Martine Biron, to keep a branch of the Quebec government open on Israeli soil in the context of the conflict that has been raging since October.
“The CAQ thus makes us complicit in a far-right government which accumulates war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and which has started a genocidal process for several months,” declared the MP on the social networks.
QS filed a petition with nearly 12,000 signatures on Thursday asking the government to give up its Quebec office in Israel.
For Mrs. @M_Biron and the CAQ, we absolutely must open the Quebec office in Israel because it is our gateway to doing business in the Middle East. The CAQ thus makes us complicit in a far-right government which accumulates war crimes, crimes against…
— Haroun Bouazzi (@HarounBouazzi) February 15, 2024
In the Chamber, Mme Biron affirmed that the office, located in Tel Aviv, is open but that its head of post is currently in Montreal.
While expressing her concern for the situation, the minister defended the maintenance of this antenna on Israeli soil. “Quebec has a voice on the international scene, does business in the Middle East,” she declared. The Quebec office in Israel is the opening, it is the gateway to the Middle East. »
At the end of January, the National Assembly adopted a declaration calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, recalled Mr.me Biron.
“Just before the adoption of the motion which was unanimous in this House, I met the general delegate of Palestine, who was here in our galleries, and she was very happy with the position we all took, the 125 elected representatives of this House, and it is the same thing for the Israeli community,” she said.
In a press briefing which preceded question period, Mr.me Biron acknowledged that the subject is delicate because of the “still bloody war currently in Israel”. “We want to keep all of our partners, our partners in Israel, our partners in Palestine and in the entire Middle East region,” she explained.
Hurtful decision
QS MP Ruba Ghazal then affirmed that the Quebec government lacks sensitivity to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I am very, very hurt by the indifference of the minister, by the indifference of the CAQ government, of the Quebec government towards the fate of the Palestinian people,” she declared in a press briefing.
Mme Ghazal affirmed that the Quebec people are for peace and will put pressure on the government. The MP refrained from commenting on Mr. Bouazzi’s comments when they were submitted to her by a journalist. “We haven’t seen it, you inform us of that,” she replied. Then, you know, it’s an extremely emotional subject, extremely emotional. »
The solidarity representative recalled that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) suspects Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians.
“That means, to all the states that do business with Israel, it’s a message for them, saying to them: ‘Be careful not to be complicit,’” she said. We don’t know yet if there is one, but there will be an investigation. »