Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is attending United Nations talks focused on a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict in the wake of France pushing for recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The conference in New York from July 28 to 30 is aimed at achieving a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, ensuring delivery of aid, and working toward a two-state solution, according to a July 28 statement from Global Affairs.
Anand will chair the “Narrative for Peace” working group with Mexico and Qatar, and will also address the U.N. plenary session to call for “an immediate and sustainable ceasefire that protects civilians, including aid workers, and the unconditional release of all hostages,” the statement says.
The United States, a close Israel ally, is not attending the U.N. conference.
The New York talks are co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, and come in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron announcing on July 24 that France will officially recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel “strongly condemns” the move, which he said would create “a launch pad to annihilate Israel” and potentially form “another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.”
Approximately three-quarters of the UN’s 193 member states recognize Palestine as a state, but France would be the first G7 nation to do so. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who controls the West Bank, said France’s decision is a “victory for the Palestinian cause.”
Canada and France have differing positions on Palestinian statehood, and Anand has said this will be discussed at the conference.
“In terms of comparable positions or positions of my counterparts, that’s a conversation that I will have in person when I travel to New York and meet with them,” Anand told reporters from Inuvik, N.W.T., on July 24, adding that she’s in close contact with her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot and plans to discuss the subject of Palestinian statehood with him directly.
Anand said Canada is “deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation” in Gaza and said that Canada’s support for a two-state solution depends on several factors. She said having Hamas “lay down all its arms,” return all hostages, and be absent from any future potential Palestinian state would be some of Canada’s requirements before joining France’s call.
“Aid needs to begin to flow. The hostages need to be released, and Hamas must lay down its weapons so that Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in peace and security,” Anand added.
Humanitarian Aid
Twenty-one months into the Israeli offensive launched after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by terrorist group Hamas, international organizations have warned of food shortages and limited access to clean water on the ground in Gaza.Canada has committed more than $315 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza in coordination with the U.N., Red Cross, and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), according to Global Affairs.
More than 100 international aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam, signed a statement on July 23 amid concerns of growing hunger in Gaza and the fear that aid seekers could be shot while travelling to the few functioning aid distribution sites in the enclave.
Israel has said that failure of aid to reach residents is the fault of the U.N., who it said has not allowed enough aid into Gaza during the conflict and at times has left shipments idling. U.S. President Donald Trump said July 28 that there is “real starvation” occurring in Gaza, and that the United States plans to open “food centres” in the region to help feed civilians.
Israel says it has tightened aid delivery rules to stop aid from being hijacked by Hamas, and has facilitated more aid distribution in recent days, including via air drops, and has pledged to create humanitarian corridors and temporary cessation of combat operations to allow aid into highly populated areas. There have been some casualties at aid distribution locations run by the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which began operating in late May.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked locations in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign citizens and kidnapping 251.
A proposed ceasefire failed on July 24, with Israel and the United States blaming Hamas for not “acting in good faith,” according to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
