(Ottawa) The Liberal government insists Hamas must lay down its arms and surrender to Israel, after the armed militant group praised Canada for being one of the countries calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated Thursday at a press conference in Toronto that Hamas could “play no role in the future governance of Gaza or in the two-state solution” in the Middle East, referring to the possible creation of a Palestinian state living in peace alongside the State of Israel.
Hamas published a video message last Monday on the Telegram platform, in which one of its senior officials, Ghazi Hamad, discusses the joint statement that Mr. Trudeau and his counterparts from Australia and New Zealand published last week. precedent on the conflict in the Middle East.
This December 12 statement came shortly before Canada voted in favor of a non-binding resolution at the United Nations calling for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas — a major change from to Canada’s usual policy at the UN.
In the English-language video, Mr. Hamad mentions the statement from Canada, Australia and New Zealand after highlighting “the growing calls from several Western governments to end the aggression against Gaza.” He says Hamas welcomes these steps “in the right direction” toward isolating Israel.
He carefully avoided mentioning, however, that the three countries’ joint statement also condemned the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, which killed some 1,200 people, including hundreds of civilians. Hamas militants also took 240 people hostage that day.
Human shield
The senior Palestinian official’s video message also did not mention the three prime ministers’ demands for a ceasefire from Hamas.
“This ceasefire cannot be unilateral,” stated the joint declaration of December 12. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields and lay down their arms. There is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza. »
The statement from Canada, Australia and New Zealand also recognizes that Israel has the right to exist and defend itself, while respecting international humanitarian law. “The price to pay for defeating Hamas cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” the prime ministers said.
More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began bombing Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks, according to local authorities, and nearly 85 percent of the territory’s 2.3 million residents have been driven from their homes. their homes.
The Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations shared an excerpt from the video on Wednesday on the war” in the Middle East.
“This is what happens when Hamas is not held accountable for its actions!” “, writes the organization, which said last week that it was “disgusted” by Canada’s vote at the UN. “Hamas thanked the Government of Canada for its support “for the global isolation of the fascist Israeli government and the end of the longest occupation of our time.” »
Hours later, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly issued a statement on X emphasizing that the three countries’ statement had “unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas” against Israel.
“Our statement was clear: for a ceasefire to be lasting, Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields and lay down its weapons,” wrote Minister Joly. Hamas does not represent the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. »
Mr. Trudeau did not explain Thursday how the Palestinians would govern themselves without Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007. Instead, the prime minister reiterated Canada’s condemnation of the group.
“Hamas is responsible for the cold-blooded execution of more than 1,000 Israeli citizens on October 7 and is committed to continuing these attacks for a long time,” Trudeau said. We must build a secure and free Israel alongside a secure and free Palestinian state,” he recalled.
“This is the work we need to do and we are absolutely committed to it. This is why we are calling for humanitarian pauses as quickly as possible and are urgently working towards a ceasefire with our international partners. »
Mr. Trudeau said discussions with other G7 countries, as well as those in the Middle East, are aiming for such an outcome.