Canada’s joint threat of action on Gaza rings hollow without immediate sanctions
May 20th, 2025
Justice For All Canada acknowledges the Canadian, British, and French governments for jointly condemning the deepening catastrophe in Gaza and issuing policy warnings to Israel if it does not cease its military assault and allow sufficient humanitarian aid in. Following over 19 months of indiscriminate bombardment, mass starvation, and documented war crimes in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, this rhetorical shift is long overdue. We call on Canada to immediately move forward in enforcing what its joint statement already makes clear: that the scale of suffering in Gaza demands swift, concrete and meaningful action.
The joint statement refers to “intolerable” levels of human suffering in Gaza. Israel’s actions have resulted in the killing of over 50,000 Palestinians, over half of whom are children and women, including targeted bombing of residential areas, hospitals, aid convoys, and UN shelters. Nearly two million people have been displaced, with entire neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure flattened. The UN has long warned of famine, with children already dying of hunger and dehydration in northern Gaza. Israel’s systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid delivery has created a man-made famine, violating international humanitarian law and amounting to collective punishment on a mass scale. While starving, maimed and grieving, what Palestinians need is immediate relief and accountability.
Canada’s staunch support for Israel has ended up providing diplomatic cover for actions investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has also already found it plausible that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, alongside repeated Israeli official statements showing intent to destroy Palestinians as a group. Canada has refused to meaningfully engage with these cases nor treat them as grounds for urgent action.
While Canada threatens “concrete actions” in the joint letter, the UK has suspended talks on a free trade agreement with Israel, while EU member states are now reviewing whether Israel has violated the human rights conditions in its long-standing trade pact (steps Canada has yet to similarly act upon). Meanwhile, as Palestinians are being starved, Canada has yet to publish full and transparent details of its arms export permits to Israel, even after the House of Commons passed a motion calling for a halt to military transfers.
The joint statement mentions several notable admissions not yet translated into concrete action, including acknowledging forced displacement as a breach of international law. Despite Canada also previously imposing sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank, violence against Palestinians persists. On this point, Canadian charities have also funnelled tax-deductible donations to organizations supporting illegal settlements and military activities in the occupied territories. Lastly, any discussion of a two-state solution must first begin with the recognition of a Palestinian state, a prerequisite that Prime Minister Mark Carney has categorically refused to undertake. These failures contravene Canada's own policies and concerns detailed in the joint statement.
If Canada is serious about international law and preventing atrocity crimes, then it must immediately enforce the points made in its joint letter, including:
Go Further
We call on all supporters of justice to urge Canada to move beyond threats in the joint letter by actually imposing targeted sanctions on Israeli government officials now before even more lives are lost. Take action here: https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/sanction-israel.html
Justice For All Canada acknowledges the Canadian, British, and French governments for jointly condemning the deepening catastrophe in Gaza and issuing policy warnings to Israel if it does not cease its military assault and allow sufficient humanitarian aid in. Following over 19 months of indiscriminate bombardment, mass starvation, and documented war crimes in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, this rhetorical shift is long overdue. We call on Canada to immediately move forward in enforcing what its joint statement already makes clear: that the scale of suffering in Gaza demands swift, concrete and meaningful action.
The joint statement refers to “intolerable” levels of human suffering in Gaza. Israel’s actions have resulted in the killing of over 50,000 Palestinians, over half of whom are children and women, including targeted bombing of residential areas, hospitals, aid convoys, and UN shelters. Nearly two million people have been displaced, with entire neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure flattened. The UN has long warned of famine, with children already dying of hunger and dehydration in northern Gaza. Israel’s systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid delivery has created a man-made famine, violating international humanitarian law and amounting to collective punishment on a mass scale. While starving, maimed and grieving, what Palestinians need is immediate relief and accountability.
Canada’s staunch support for Israel has ended up providing diplomatic cover for actions investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has also already found it plausible that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, alongside repeated Israeli official statements showing intent to destroy Palestinians as a group. Canada has refused to meaningfully engage with these cases nor treat them as grounds for urgent action.
While Canada threatens “concrete actions” in the joint letter, the UK has suspended talks on a free trade agreement with Israel, while EU member states are now reviewing whether Israel has violated the human rights conditions in its long-standing trade pact (steps Canada has yet to similarly act upon). Meanwhile, as Palestinians are being starved, Canada has yet to publish full and transparent details of its arms export permits to Israel, even after the House of Commons passed a motion calling for a halt to military transfers.
The joint statement mentions several notable admissions not yet translated into concrete action, including acknowledging forced displacement as a breach of international law. Despite Canada also previously imposing sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank, violence against Palestinians persists. On this point, Canadian charities have also funnelled tax-deductible donations to organizations supporting illegal settlements and military activities in the occupied territories. Lastly, any discussion of a two-state solution must first begin with the recognition of a Palestinian state, a prerequisite that Prime Minister Mark Carney has categorically refused to undertake. These failures contravene Canada's own policies and concerns detailed in the joint statement.
If Canada is serious about international law and preventing atrocity crimes, then it must immediately enforce the points made in its joint letter, including:
- Impose targeted Magnitsky sanctions on not just extremist Israeli settlers, but Israeli government officials themselves who have made possible the mass displacement, starvation, and unlawful attacks on civilians in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza.
- Join its EU and UK allies by reviewing Canada’s bilateral and multilateral arrangements with Israel, including trade and research agreements.
- Suspend all direct and indirect military exports to Israel, including components routed through U.S. contracts, and publish a full list of military export permits issued since October 2023.
- Support full cooperation with international legal mechanisms, including the ICC’s investigation into war crimes and the ICJ’s provisional measures related to South Africa’s genocide case.
- Withdraw Canada’s staunch political support for Israel’s actions in Gaza that has enabled indiscriminate attacks and mass civilian killings.
Go Further
We call on all supporters of justice to urge Canada to move beyond threats in the joint letter by actually imposing targeted sanctions on Israeli government officials now before even more lives are lost. Take action here: https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/sanction-israel.html