Canadian lawmakers back motion aimed at helping bring peace to Gaza

Yet Mr. Trudeau has taken a much more critical tone toward Israel in recent weeks, a stance that has caused divisions within the Liberal Party. Three Liberal Party lawmakers voted against the motion.

And from his left, Mr. Trudeau has been criticized by the New Democrats, whose votes he relies on to pass legislation, for not doing more to end Palestinian suffering in the enclave, where more than 30,000 people have been killed and food and medicine thrown away. in a critical supply shortage.

The Conservative Party condemned the motion, charging that Mr. Trudeau’s approach had abandoned Israel and supported terrorism.

“Hamas should focus on, and not on, the state of Israel,” Michael Chong, who speaks on behalf of the party’s foreign affairs, said during the debate.

Earlier in the day, Ms. Joly indicated that several provisions in what the New Democrats had described as “actions to promote peace in the Middle East” were unacceptable to the administration, saying that key policy issues could not be changed by a opposition motion.

One of the main sticking points was the New Democrats’ call for immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, a position that no Group of 7 country has taken.

Other changes negotiated during the day included adding a call to end the illegal trade of arms to Hamas to a section calling on the government to stop allowing arms shipments to Israel . Canada is not currently sending weapons to Israel, and Ms. Joly confirmed Monday that non-lethal military shipments had been suspended.

The motion, which describes Gaza as “currently the most dangerous place in the world to be a child,” also called on the government to immediately restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, a step Mr. Trudeau had already taken .

It also called on the government to support the prosecution of all crimes and violations of international law in the region; ensuring that Canadians trapped in Gaza can reach safety; and to impose sanctions on Israeli officials who incite genocide, while maintaining sanctions on Hamas leaders.