Canada supports UN resolution calling for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war
PM Trudeau released joint statement with prime ministers of New Zealand, Australia calling for ceasefire
Canada has voted in favour of a non-binding United Nations resolution that calls for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Israel-Hamas war.
"From the very beginning we have said that Israel has the right to defend itself," Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters before the vote on Tuesday. "How Israel defends itself matters."
The resolution passed the UN General Assembly with 153 votes in favour, 10 against and 23 abstentions. The vote followed the United States' decision on Friday to veto a resolution at the UN Security Council that called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza.
The Gaza health authority — which is controlled by Hamas, a listed terrorist entity in Canada — reported Monday that more than 18,200 Gazans have been killed since Oct. 7.
"What is unfolding before our eyes will only enhance the cycle of violence. This will not lead to the durable defeat of Hamas," Joly said Tuesday.
Joly said a ceasefire cannot be "one-sided." She said Hamas must lay down its arms and release the remaining hostages it captured on Oct. 7.
Canada's vote represents a shift away from its longstanding practice of voting with Israel on major resolutions at the UN.
UN resolution 'changes nothing': Israel ambassador
Canada's Ambassador to the UN Bob Rae told CBC News Network's Power & Politics that Canada's support for Israel still stands. He said Canada backed the resolution due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
"The status quo in the fighting is unsustainable from a humanitarian perspective. From the point of view of what is happening to people, it is simply unsustainable," Rae told host David Cochrane.
Iddo Moed, Israel's ambassador to Canada, said the UN resolution "changes nothing on the ground."
"Calling for a ceasefire may appease political supporters, but it does not make any difference and has no significance for those people who are suffering right now under the terrorist regime of Hamas," Moed said in a separate interview on Power & Politics.
"It does not help … in any way the families of the hostages. It does not help in any way those who were victimized by Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7," Moed told Cochrane.
Moed said "talking [with Hamas] will not make any difference" and the UN resolution won't change how Israel carries out its war on Hamas.
"I don't think that anybody can tell us how to fight our wars. We do it in the way that we know will ensure our lives and our future in the region," he said.
"Israel is there to stay and Israel will win this war anyway, and at any price it would cost us."
Liberal MPs disagree with UN vote
At least two Liberal MPs have disagreed publicly with their government's vote at the UN.
Quebec MP Anthony Housefather, who is Jewish, said any ceasefire must start with Hamas releasing hostages.
"In my view, any cessation of hostilities requires Hamas to release all hostages and lay down arms and surrender. Hamas, a terrorist organization, is entirely responsible for starting a war," Housefather said on X, formerly Twitter.
In my view, any cessation of hostilities requires Hamas to release all hostages and lay down arms and surrender. Hamas, a terrorist organization is entirely responsible for starting a war. I disagree with our vote at the UN today.
—@AHousefatherLiberal MP Marco Mendicino, a former cabinet minister, also voiced his disagreement on X.
"I do not support [the resolution's] call for Israel to agree to what is, effectively, an unconditional ceasefire. At present, that would only place in further jeopardy the safety and security of Israelis & Palestinians in Gaza," he wrote.
Joly said Canada remains supportive of a two-state solution.
"We need to make sure that we have the conversation to be able to get to a Palestinian state next to an Israeli state that are able to live side by side in peace and security," she said.
Statement calls on Hamas to release hostages
Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined allies in calling for "efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire" in the Israel-Hamas war — the first time the government of Canada had officially used the word "ceasefire" in relation to the conflict.
Trudeau and the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement earlier Tuesday calling for the resumption of the seven-day pause in fighting that ended earlier this month. All three countries voted in favour of Tuesday's UN resolution.
"The recent pause in hostilities allowed for the release of more than 100 hostages and supported an increase in humanitarian access to affected civilians," the statement said.
"We want to see this pause resumed and support urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire."
Trudeau told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he had just outlined Canada's position in a "long and detailed" phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"We are committed to working with partners in the region and around the world towards an enduring two-state solution," Trudeau told reporters. "Canada is committed to ensuring that Israelis and Palestinians get to live in peace and security within internationally recognized borders in peaceful and successful states."
Trudeau did not use the term "ceasefire" in his brief exchange with reporters.
The joint statement with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon marks the first time Trudeau has used the term "ceasefire" in reference to the Israel-Hamas war. He previously called for a humanitarian pause in the conflict.
"This cannot be one-sided. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms," the statement said.
The statement also said there is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza. The three leaders say they support Palestinians' right to self-determination and oppose the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
Their statement also affirms Israel's right to exist, condemns Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel — which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials — and demands that Hamas release all remaining hostages.
"We recommit ourselves to working with partners toward a just and enduring peace in the form of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognized borders," the prime ministers said.
Israel losing support, Biden says
The statement comes on the same day U.S. President Joe Biden issued his sharpest rebuke yet of Israel's conduct in the war while speaking to Democratic donors in Washington.
"Bibi's got a tough decision to make," Biden said on Tuesday, referring to Netanyahu.
"This is the most conservative government in Israel's history," Biden said, adding that the government "doesn't want a two-state solution."
Israel is starting to lose support around the world, Biden added, arguing that Netanyahu "has to strengthen and change" the Israeli government to find a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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With files from Alexander Panetta