Former Israeli PM ‘disappointed’ in Canada’s position on Gaza conflict
Global News
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett says Israel is being held to a double standard not shown to others during times of war, which he said is rooted in antisemitism.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett says he is “disappointed” in Canada’s position on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, arguing Israel is being held to a double standard not shown to others in times of war.
The Canadian government has said it supports Israel’s right to defend itself while saying that “a sustainable ceasefire cannot be one-sided,” and urged Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. The House of Commons passed a non-binding motion last month with support from most Liberal MPs that said Canada should cease further authorization and transfer of arms exports to Israel, which the government later followed through on.
The motion drew condemnation from the Israeli government and resulted in Liberal MP Anthony Housefather publicly mulling his future in the party, before saying he had decided to stay.
In an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block, Bennett criticized Canada’s stance, as well as the restoration of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the primary aid organization in Gaza, after Ottawa temporarily froze it over allegations that UNRWA workers participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
“I’m disappointed,” he told host Mercedes Stephenson. “We expect friends to be with us not when it’s easy, but when it’s tough.
“Do you understand how vital it is that the world supports us in defeating this total evil?”
More than six months after Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel’s western allies have grown sharply critical amid rising Palestinian deaths and a growing humanitarian crisis in the territory.
More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Canada is amongst several nations who 'condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf.'
Gas prices in Canada have been climbing sharply since the Iran war began, but how much higher they could go is unclear as consumers struggle with the higher cost of living.
The Oscar-winning actor has denied all allegations against him and maintains that the incidents raised in the lawsuits either did not happen or were consensual.
European leaders have deflected entreaties from U.S. President Donald Trump to send military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq, supporting operations against Iran.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified that the regime remains intact and Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking U.S. and allies' interests.
James 'Jimmy' Gracey was reported missing after he didn't return to the short-term rental where he was staying with friends during spring break.
The U.K. Health Security Agency described the event as 'rapidly evolving' and warned of the potential for further cases.
U.S. benchmark crude fell US$1.24 to US$94.53 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose to US$104.17 per barrel. That's down from more than US$106 on Monday.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's allies not to forget about his country, and suggested the U.S. and others should make use of Ukraine's anti-drone technology during the war.
Trump’s visit to China is seen as an opportunity to build on a fragile trade truce, but it has become tangled in his effort to find an endgame to the war in Iran.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz starting to move is "a sign of how little Iran has left."
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, were “eliminated last night," Israel said.