Canadian civil society organizations are calling on the government to halt all arms transfers to Israel to prevent complicity in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The letter, signed by 19 organizations, urges Canada to abide by its commitments under the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty.
Despite Prime Minister Trudeau’s announcement to stop future arms sales to Israel, previously approved transfers have continued. The signatories highlight the need to end all exports of arms and components to Israel.
The criticism mirrors global trends, with other countries like the UK and Italy suspending arms sales to Israel due to concerns about potential violations of international law. However, Italy and Spain have since resumed arms exports. Germany and the US, Israel’s major arms suppliers, have not halted exports.
Double standards
While countries like the UK have taken steps to review and suspend arms sales, Netanyahu has criticized the actions as emboldening Hamas. Human rights groups argue that more needs to be done to ensure compliance with international law.