The Liberal government has been supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, but now Defence Minister Bill Blair has gone a step further and said the organization needs to be “eliminated.”
“I think they have a right to defend themselves against that terrorist threat and, quite frankly, Hamas has to be eliminated as a threat, not just to Israel, but to the world,” Mr. Blair told reporters in Ottawa on Oct. 24. “They are a terrorist organization.”
Canada has provided $60 million in humanitarian relief, with Global Affairs Canada saying it’s a “small fraction” of what is needed to help civilians in Gaza.
Israel has been pounding the territory with air strikes and artillery since the Oct. 7 Hamas commando attack inside Israel, which claimed 1,400 mostly civilian lives. Hamas members rampaged through villages, including the killing of attendees at a music festival.
Asked why Canada is not calling for a ceasefire, Mr. Blair said that Israel was the victim of a “horrific” terrorist attack and that the threat still persists.
“We’ve acknowledged that under international law [they] have a right to defend themselves,” he said. The minister also said there’s a concern that Hamas would not abide by the ceasefire.
“I have no expectation that a terrorist organization would respect international law or any call for a ceasefire.”
Mr. Blair’s comments come a few days after his department released a statement on its analysis of the blast at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on Oct. 17.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly both made statements shortly after the blast that, and while not naming Israel, they said international law had been breached.
Mr. Blair was asked on Oct. 23 whether the statements would be retracted given analyses by Canada and other countries indicating Israel was not involved.
“What was said previously will remain in the public domain,” he said.
