OTTAWA—The Trudeau government will cease future arms exports to Israel even though a motion passed Monday by the House of Commons that called for such action is non-binding, says Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
“It is a real thing,” said Joly, speaking to the Star briefly on the morning after a majority of Liberal MPs and cabinet voted in support of a modified NDP resolution that some Jewish groups say undermines Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.
The controversial resolution sought to toughen Canada’s stance on the Middle East conflict. The original motion supported an immediate ceasefire (to which was added 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 negotiation); and a weapons sales suspension (which was changed to a cessation or ban).
"I think it's the first time in my parliamentary career that I've had a reflection like this where I truly felt, last night, that a line had been crossed," Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says when asked re: his future with party after passage of Israel-Hamas war motion.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/TzDPXn3MBS
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) March 19, 2024
