Mideast ministers in Ottawa to discuss Israel-Hamas war with Joly, Trudeau
CTV
A group of foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are in Ottawa today for a quietly planned meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to discuss attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war.
A group of foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are in Ottawa today for a quietly planned meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to discuss attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also joined the talks, arranged to see how countries such as Canada can help efforts to secure peace for Palestinians and Israelis, after Hamas militants launched a deadly rampage in Israel on Oct. 7.
The delegation calls itself the Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit and it normally includes Jordan, though Joly's office says that country needed to send its foreign minister on other business.
The group is not a joint peace project with Israel, and says its leaders aim to speak on behalf of Arab and Muslim people following Israel's bombardment of Gaza in responseto the Hamas attack.
This is the first visit of Saudi Arabia's foreign minister to Canada since a diplomatic chill over human rights issues in 2018, when Riyadh recalled its ambassador from Ottawa and expelled Canada's envoy.
Joly's office says the ministers are to discuss political pathways to a comprehensive and lasting peace, with a focus on "self-determination, human rights and security" for both Palestinians and Israelis.
They will also discuss the need to allow much more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.
