Canada confirms it will halt arms shipments to Israel, amid Gaza scrutiny
- A senior Canadian official said ‘the situation on the ground makes it so that we can’t’ export any equipment that could have a potential military use
- Israel slammed the decision, with Foreign Minister Israel Katz saying it ‘undermines Israel’s right to self-defence against Hamas’
Canada will halt all arms shipments to Israel, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly’s office confirmed on Wednesday, a decision that has drawn the ire of Israeli leaders facing growing international scrutiny over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The besieged Palestinian territory is facing a mounting humanitarian crisis, and months of war have pushed hundreds of thousands of Gazans to the brink of famine.
Canada, a key ally of the United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars a year in military aid, had already reduced its shipments to Israel to only include non-lethal equipment, such as radios, following the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the current war.
“Since January 8, the government has not approved new arms export permits to Israel and this will continue until we can ensure full compliance with our export regime,” said a statement from Joly’s office. “There are no open permits for exports of lethal goods to Israel,” it added.
Export permits approved before January 8, however, would “remain in effect,” Joly’s office said, explaining that cancelling them risked “important implications for both Canada and its allies”, including Nato and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.