Canada Suspends Arms Sales to Israel

(Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Canada will be suspending sales of arms to Israel, prompting a rebuke from Israel’s foreign minister, who said “history will judge the Canadian government’s current move harshly.”

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced the move Tuesday, The Toronto Star reported, a day after the House of Commons, the lower chamber of the country’s Parliament, passed a nonbinding resolution to suspend such sales.

“It is a real thing,” Joly told the Star on Tuesday. Her statement was confirmed later that day by Foreign Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Robert Oliphant.

“We will continue to advocate for a cease-fire, we will continue to not sell arms as we have promised and continue to make sure that we bring hostages back to their homes,” Oliphant told Parliament, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Canada of undermining his country’s right to self-defense following Iranian-backed Hamas’ terrorist attack Oct. 7. Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas and rescue hostages taken during the attack.

Israel has vehemently denied claims by the United Nations and pro-Palestinian groups that it is indiscriminately killing Palestinian civilians and limiting humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

“It is unfortunate that the Canadian government is taking a step that undermines Israel’s right to self-defense against the Hamas murderers who have committed terrible crimes against humanity and innocent Israeli citizens, including the elderly, women and children,” Katz said, according to the Post.

“History will judge the Canadian government’s current move harshly.”

As of Jan. 8, Joly temporarily suspended permits for military goods and technology exports to Israel, the Star reported. Katz said he spoke with Joly about the issue last week when she was in Israel, adding Canada remained a strong friend of Israel, according to the Post.

The original resolution in the House of Commons, according to the Star, supported an immediate cease-fire, including a call for Hamas to disarm; recognition of the state of Palestine (which was changed to support for the “establishment” of the state of Palestine as part of a negotiated two-state solution); and a weapons sales suspension (which was changed to a cessation).

A key section of the resolution called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to “suspend all trade in military goods and technology with Israel and increase efforts to stop the illegal trade of arms, including to Hamas.” That was swapped for language that commits Canada to “cease the further authorization and transfer of arms exports to Israel to ensure compliance with Canada’s arms export regime and increase efforts to stop the illegal trade of arms, including to Hamas.”

The resolution passed 204-117, but before the vote, Benny Gantz, minister of Israel’s War Cabinet, posted on X that he told Trudeau during a phone call that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state “is counter-productive to the mutual goal of long-term regional security and stability, and would ultimately reward terrorism.”