Trudeau says allies 'increasingly concerned' about Israel's tactics eroding its international support
Darren Major, Rosemary Barton | CBC | Posted: December 21, 2023 9:00 AM | Last Updated: December 21
The Liberal government has been calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war since Dec. 12
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's worried that Israel's tactics in the war against Hamas could put its long-term security and diplomatic support at risk.
In a year-end interview with CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, the prime minister suggested that some of Israel's other allies share that concern.
"The voices from Israel's strongest friends, like Canada, like Australia, especially like the United States ... are becoming increasingly concerned that … the short-term actions being taken by Israel are actually putting at risk the long-term safety and even support for a Jewish state into the future," Trudeau told Barton.
WATCH | Allies 'increasingly concerned' about Israel's tactics, Trudeau says:
Trudeau's comments echoed remarks U.S. President Joe Biden made during a fundraiser last week.
"Israel's security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them,'' Biden said. "They're starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place."
The current air and ground war was launched in response to Hamas's brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the war has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians and displaced roughly 1.9 million people, and has demolished much of northern Gaza.
Canada voted earlier this month in favour of a non-binding motion before the United Nations General Assembly calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire." It marked a change in Canada's voting pattern at the UN, where it typically votes in support of Israel.
Trudeau said Canada's support for Israel has not changed, despite the UN vote.
"We've changed how we've articulated our position. But the position itself hasn't changed," he said. "We've always said that Israel has a right to defend itself in accordance with international law. We have always called for the protection of civilians."
Some critics of Canada's vote at the UN — including some Liberal MPs — said the resolution should have called on Hamas to lay down its arms. The resolution also didn't explicitly call for excluding Hamas from participating in future governments in the Gaza Strip.
On the same day as the UN vote, Trudeau and the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement that called for a ceasefire. But that statement also condemned the Oct. 7 attack, demanded the release of Israeli hostages and called on Hamas to lay down its arms.
Trudeau told Barton that while Canada still supports a two-state solution, Hamas — which has been officially designated a terrorist organization by a number of countries, including Canada — should have no role in such negotiations.
"It is our position that working towards a sustainable ceasefire requires the conditions of Hamas laying down its arms, releasing all hostages, [ending the use of] human shields and understanding there is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza," the prime minister said.
Earlier this week, Hamas official Ghazi Hamad called the joint statement by Canada, Australia and New Zealand "welcome" news.
"We welcome these developments and consider them [a step] in the right direction," he said in a video broadcast on the mobile messaging service Telegram.
Global Affairs Canada, asked for comment on the video, referred CBC News to a statement on social media by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly Wednesday night that echoed Trudeau's remarks.
"Hamas are terrorists," she said. "Our statement was clear: for a ceasefire to be sustainable, Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms. They have no future in Gaza."
A 'clear disagreement' with Netanyahu
In a recent news conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took credit for blocking that peace process over the past three decades. "I'm proud that I prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state," he said.
Trudeau said he and Netanyahu had a "very clear disagreement" on a two-state solution during a 40-minute conversation on the day of the UN vote.
"I very much shared with him our deep belief that Canada is unflinching — and has been for many years — that a two-state solution is the only way to move forward. That we have to have a free, secure, viable Israel, alongside a free, secure, viable Palestinian state," Trudeau said.
"That's a point in which I have a very clear disagreement with Prime Minister Netanyahu. But we're going to continue to work for that two-state solution in every conversation we have."
CBC News Special: Year-End Interview with the Prime Minister airs on Monday, Dec. 25 at 11:30 a.m. (12 p.m. in Newfoundland) on CBC Television.