UPDATE 08/30/24: Global Affairs Canada has released a statement to Broadview regarding The United Church of Canada’s letter. It did not directly respond to the call to suspend diplomatic relations, instead it urged Israel “to respond substantively to the ICJ’s advisory opinion, and ensure accountability for ongoing acts of violence against Palestinians by extremist settlers, reverse the record expansion of settlements in the West Bank which are illegal under international law, and work towards a two-state solution.”

More from the statement: The Government of Canada has announced multiple rounds of sanctions against various parties in the Middle East since October 7, 2023. In the aftermath of the horrific October 7, 2023 attacks, Canada, in concert with like-minded partners, announced multiple rounds of autonomous sanctions on Hamas and its affiliates. Canada has also imposed two rounds of sanctions on perpetrators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank, including 11 individuals and 5 entities.

Canadian leaders and officials, at all levels, are actively engaged in efforts to address the current situation, prevent further escalation and regional spillover, protect civilians, and secure the release of hostages. Canada and Israel continue to have strong, multidimensional bilateral relations, marked by our history of shared values and our close people to people ties. This close relationship offers opportunities for Canada to meaningfully engage with Israel to advance shared priorities and engage in dialogue to advance prospects for lasting peace and stability in the region.

The United Church of Canada is taking its position on the war in Gaza a step further by calling on the federal government to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel.

“This is the first time that we are asking for Canada to issue this kind of sanction on the State of Israel, because, clearly, quiet diplomacy is not working,” general secretary Rev. Michael Blair writes in an Aug. 13 letter.

Blair is pushing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to recall Canada’s ambassador to Israel and revoke the credentials of the Israeli ambassador to Canada; put in place a two-way arms embargo; and suspend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, at least until trade “supporting the occupation of the [occupied Palestinian territories] is excluded.”

The letter criticizes Israel for what it calls a “flagrant disregard for international law,” noting that the state has ignored the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion that the occupation of occupied Palestinian territories is “unlawful” and must end. Many international groups still consider the Gaza Strip an occupied territory, but Israel disagrees.

Blair’s letter also alleges that Israel is directly targeting civilians taking shelter in schools, citing a press release from the United Nations Human Rights Office. An Israeli bomb strike on a school in Gaza City on Saturday killed more than 100 people. Israel says that its forces hit a Hamas “command and control centre” that was a hiding place for “terrorists and commanders.”

Blair notes that Canada has spoken out in support of a ceasefire in the past, along with issuing a joint statement in July alongside Australia and New Zealand in response to the ICJ opinion, pressing Israel to respect international law. But he says it isn’t enough. 

“It is very clear that the international community must take a stronger stand so the Palestinian people can exercise their right to self-determination, and possibly even their right to exist,” Blair writes. “The advisory opinion of the ICJ calls not only for action by the State of Israel, but also cautions that all states may need to take action to avoid complicity.”

More on Broadview:

• ‘Bubble zones’ limit protests outside communities of faith in Vaughan, Ont. Are they a good idea?
• How grief led me back to Islam
• United Church moderator, other church leaders march on Parliament Hill to call for Gaza ceasefire

The denomination also asks the federal government to call for an end to Israel’s blockade on Gaza, increase humanitarian aid and condemn “the targeting of schools by [the Israel Defense Forces] and all acts of violence against civilians.”

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants stormed Israel, killing just under 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel retaliated with an unprecedented air and ground offensive in Gaza. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and 90 percent of the territory’s population has been internally displaced. 

The United Church has been outspoken about Israel’s actions in Gaza since the conflict began, calling the war a genocide in December. In February, the denomination pushed Canada to end arms sales to Israel and support South Africa’s ICJ case against the state. 

Rev. Japhet Ndhlovu, the executive minister for Church in Mission at the General Council office, says that the letter’s timing came in response to the recent bombing of the school in Gaza City. 

“[Israel continues] bombing places where they’ve told people, ‘These are safe sites,’” he says. “And all in the name [of having found] one or is it two Hamas terrorists or suspects without providing any other evidence. And all we hear are these bombings that are devastating lives.”

Ndhlovu said that the denomination has received notes of support for its letter, with some suggesting that it is “too little, too late.” He said he suspects that most members support the church’s overall position, but that a few will feel that it doesn’t represent them.

“Many, many voices will support the call for ceasefire, will support the call for Hamas to release the remaining hostages, if there are any. With all these bombings, we don’t know what has happened, what is on the ground,” he says.

He maintains that the denomination is focused on listening to its ecumenical partners in the Middle East.

“And our partners have called on us over and over that the Western church seems to be complicit,” he says. “We are not doing enough to make sure that normality is restored and there is respect for life and property in Gaza.”

***

Emma Prestwich is Broadview’s digital and United Church in Focus editor.

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