Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to comments made by Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney during a political rally this week, when he commented on the situation in the Gaza Strip.
“Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney,” Netanyahu wrote in an April 10 post on the social media platform X. The Israeli prime minister’s comments appeared on a repost of an excerpt of the video taken during Carney’s rally in Calgary on April 8.
A heckler during the rally can be heard saying, “There’s a genocide happening in Palestine.” After the crowd calmed down, Carney said, “I’m aware, which is why we have an arms embargo.”
Netanyahu said that “instead of supporting Israel, a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the one and only Jewish state.”
“Mr. Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement!” added the Israeli prime minister.
Before Netanyahu had reacted, Carney was asked to clarify his comments during a press conference on April 9. He said he had not heard the word “genocide” being uttered by the pro-Palestinian protester heckling at his rally. Carney said it was noisy and that you “hear snippets of what people say, and I heard ‘Gaza.’”
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“My point was I’m aware of the situation in Gaza,” Carney told reporters, adding “it’s a matter of public record” that Canada has had restrictions on arms exports to Israel since January 2024. Ottawa also suspended 30 permits for weapons shipments to Israel in September.
Carney was again asked by reporters on April 10 about his stance on whether or not a genocide is taking place in the Gaza Strip. He called the situation “horrible” and said the question is in front of the International Court of Justice. “I will not, and I will never, politicize that word or this situation,” said Carney.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Netanyahu in November, accusing him of war crimes in Gaza. His office had responded by saying, “Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions leveled against it by ICC.” At the time, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would “abide by” the decision of the ICC.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas became a hot political issue in Canada, with the Liberal Party being split internally on how to respond. The Jewish community in Canada has also faced numerous acts of violence targeting its schools and establishments with gun shots and arsons.
Carney said this week a Liberal government would not recognize a Palestinian state, as French President Emmanuel Macron said he could do this year in June.
“We support a two-state solution, but a two-state solution where we have a free and viable Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside an Israeli state which lives in peace and security,” Carney said, adding that “those conditions do not exist at the moment.”
Israel and Hamas had a two-month cease-fire, with exchanges of hostages and prisoners, but the truce broke in recent weeks. Israel resumed its military operations on March 18, seeking to create a security zone inside the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have resumed firing rockets into Israel.
Hostilities began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists entered Israel and massacred civilians and took some 250 hostages.
Reuters contributed to this report.
