MONTREAL: Canada will stop all arms shipments to Israel, a government official told AFP on Tuesday, a decision that has drawn the ire of Israel as it faces growing international scrutiny over its genocide campaign against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The decision marks a departure from Canada’s previous stance as a key ally of the United States, which provides substantial military aid to Israel annually. Prior to this announcement, Canada had already scaled back arms shipments to Israel, limiting them to non-lethal equipment such as radios.
“The situation on the ground makes it so that we can’t export any kind of military equipment,” the Canadian official stated.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly reiterated Canada’s position, informing the Toronto Star newspaper that Ottawa would cease future arms exports to Israel. However, Israel has vehemently criticized the decision, with Foreign Minister Israel Katz asserting that it undermines Israel’s right to self-defense against the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
“History will judge Canada’s current action harshly,” Katz remarked in a social media post.
Meanwhile, US Senator Bernie Sanders welcomed the move, emphasizing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and urging the US to reconsider its support for Israel’s military endeavors.
Israel has historically been a major recipient of Canadian arms exports, with significant amounts of military materiel sent to the country in recent years. Nonetheless, Ottawa has only dispatched “non-lethal” shipments since October 7.
The decision by Canada to halt arms shipments follows mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, with reports indicating that at least 31,819 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 7. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while affirming Israel’s right to defend itself, has increasingly adopted a critical stance towards Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens.
This decision by Canada also coincides with a nonbinding resolution passed by the Canadian Parliament on Monday, which calls for the international community to pursue a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The issue of arms deliveries to Israel has sparked legal action in multiple countries, including Canada, where a coalition of lawyers and citizens of Palestinian origin filed a complaint against the government in early March, alleging violations of international and domestic law.
