Based on coverage from The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Castanet, Middle East Eye, and Winnipeg Free Press.
Almost 200 former senior Canadian diplomats are urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to toughen Canada’s stance toward Israel, arguing conditions have worsened in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon and that Ottawa should respond with “robust” sanctions.
A letter, released to media late Thursday and signed by 190 former diplomats, asks the federal government to review Canada’s trade agreement with Israel and to warn that Canada’s strategic partnership agreement could be suspended if conditions do not improve.
Former Canadian diplomats call for sanctions
The diplomats’ core argument is that stronger international pressure is needed to change Israeli policy. “It is evident that without robust international sanctions the Israeli government will persist in disregarding international law and human rights and will press forward with its plans to expand settlements,” the letter says.
This group is made up of former officials who held high-ranking diplomatic roles. Their intervention lands as Canada’s Middle East policy continues to face scrutiny at home, especially after months of war and humanitarian crisis in the region.
Gaza aid restrictions and journalist access
The letter points to Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid and on journalists reaching Gaza. It also accuses Israel of continuing to destroy civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and water facilities, and says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed or injured, “many of whom are women and children,” even after a declared ceasefire.
Israel has repeatedly said it is upholding international law while fighting Hamas in Gaza, and has urged countries including Canada to focus on threats it says are coming from Iran and its proxies.
West Bank settlements and settler violence
A major focus of the letter is the West Bank, where the diplomats say settlement expansion is accelerating and is aimed at making a Palestinian state impossible. They cite Israeli officials’ statements suggesting a Palestinian state should be prevented and warn that further settlement building would make it “almost impossible” for Palestinians to have contiguous territory.
The diplomats also describe “extremist settlers” displacing Palestinians, and claim this happens with “tacit support” and at times “active participation” from Israeli police and military. Canada has long maintained that settlements are illegal under international law, and the letter presses Ottawa to match that position with enforcement.
Lebanon, Hezbollah, and civilian deaths
The diplomats’ call extends beyond the Palestinian territories to Lebanon, where they say the “high civilian death toll” suggests Israel is violating international law. The letter acknowledges Israel’s “legitimate security concerns” related to Hezbollah, but argues that “the razing of entire towns” and civilian deaths cross a legal line.
Israel says its campaign in Lebanon is targeting Hezbollah.
What Ottawa is being asked to do
Beyond sanctions and reviewing trade ties, the diplomats want Ottawa to take legal action against Canadian companies that bid on or help build settlements. They also want Canada to ускорate efforts to revoke charitable status for organizations they say support settlements or fund the Israeli military.
They’re also calling for “unequivocal support” for actions at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice related to allegations of war crimes and genocidal acts in the region.
The Canadian Press said it requested comment from Carney’s office, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, and Israel’s embassy in Ottawa, but had not received responses.
The letter follows a similar push last July, when former diplomats called for Canada to halt all arms trade with Israel. It also comes as Sen. Yuen Pau Woo presses the government to act on a joint statement Canada issued a year ago with France and the U.K., which threatened “concrete actions” if restrictions remained on aid entering Gaza. Woo told the Senate on May 5 that Israel has not improved the situation after that ultimatum.
Internationally, pressure has been uneven. EU foreign ministers recently rejected a proposal to suspend the bloc’s preferential trade arrangement with Israel, though the EU agreed Monday to sanction Israeli settlers and Hamas officials.
Diplomatically, relations between Ottawa and Jerusalem remain strained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not spoken with Carney since Carney took office more than a year ago.
Support Independent Canadian News Analysis
The Canada Report is supported by readers like you. If this article helped you understand what’s happening, you can support our work with a one-time tip.
Support The Canada Report
