As the death toll rises and the threat of famine looms, Israel's closest ally continues its work in Gaza following the October 7 terrorist attack that killed 1,160 people and took 250 hostages in Israeli territory. There are growing doubts about the war.
Allies are particularly concerned about the Israeli government's insistence that it proceed with plans to launch a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.1 million people have fled. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was necessary to wipe out the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which the United States, European Union and other governments classify as a terrorist organization.
Calls for a ceasefire have become increasingly urgent as fears of a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe grow.
Biden and Netanyahu claim
The United States has protected Israel by using its veto power to block numerous resolutions in the United Nations Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire.
However, cracks are beginning to appear in their relationship. Earlier in the week, US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly got into an argument over the phone. Biden said the ground attack plan was a “mistake,” but Prime Minister Netanyahu supports the plan.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has made clear that the plan still requires several weeks of preparation, but his uncompromising position, and the unprecedentedly catastrophic humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza, has prompted the United Nations to It is causing a reconsideration of the US position on the Security Council.
A US resolution calling for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire” was blocked by China and Russia on Friday.
This initiative involved intense negotiations to reach an agreement for both a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinians held by the Israeli government.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently visiting the Middle East to consult with all concerned parties. Blinken said there was a “very good chance that a deal could be reached” this week.
Canada abolishes weapons
With support from the New Democratic Party, the ruling Liberal Party, the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois, Canada's parliament voted 204 to 117 to suspend arms exports to Israel.
In a statement reported by Agence France-Presse, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly's office said: “Since January 8, the government has not approved any new arms export licenses to Israel and has not fully complied with the export regime. This situation will continue until this is ensured.” “There are no undisclosed permits for the export of lethal items to Israel.”
Canada is generally considered one of Israel's closest allies, along with the United States. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been criticized for his vague position.
When South Africa filed a genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in January, Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters that while Canada supports the ICJ and its procedures, there is no way to reject or support the premise of the lawsuit. He said he avoided it. At the same time, Prime Minister Trudeau said Canada will abide by the ICJ's ruling.
Opposition parties and civil society actors are pressuring Prime Minister Trudeau to take a clearer stand. This may have been a factor in the suspension of arms exports. Although the resolution is not binding, the government has indicated its intention to implement it.
This makes Canada one of a series of countries to suspend arms exports to Israel, including Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
EU puts pressure on Israel
Spain has become one of the European Union's strongest critics of Israeli military operations. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called on the European Commission to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement, an agreement on political and trade relations.
Mr Sanchez and Ireland's Leo Varadkar, who has since announced his intention to resign, said Israel may be in breach of the human rights obligations and fundamental democratic standards that underpin the deal. German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock rejected the call, which was not formally discussed in any case at the EU summit in Brussels, which concluded on Friday.
On Thursday, the leaders of the 27 EU countries agreed on a joint statement taking a tougher stance with the Israeli government. The EU jointly called for an “immediate humanitarian halt leading to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
In the first EU joint statement issued after five months of internal divisions, member states also called on Israel not to launch the Rafah ground operation.
