Defence Minister Bill Blair has publicly exonerated Israel from accusations of genocide over the terrible destruction of the Ahli Arab Anglican hospital in Gaza. He claims he is basing his claim on an independent investigation by the Canadian military. Why would he step in to protect Israel during its murderous bombing campaign? Read more....
On October 21, Defence Minister Bill Blair released a statement exonerating Israel from accusations it had bombed the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza.
“Analysis conducted independently by the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command indicates with a high degree of confidence that Israel did not strike the hospital on October 17, 2023. The more likely scenario is that the strike was caused by an errant rocket fired from Gaza,” read the statement.
A Canadian “independent” analysis? Canada has no agents on the ground, no planes in the skies over Gaza or ability to intercept either Israeli or Hamas communications. The best Canada could do would be to independently evaluate the information provided by the Israel and the US.
Who did it?
The Israeli position certainly seems possible. But whether this particular incident was due to an Israeli missile or a Palestinian rocket is almost beside the point. No one can dispute the fact that the hospital was put in “harms way” by the massive Israeli bombing campaign.
If Minister Blair is concerned about the laws of war, he might want to ask Canadian military analysts to check out who was responsible for damage to the 24 other health centres in Gaza that have been either partly or completely put out of service (Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). They might also check into the circumstances of the destruction of the 90 educational facilities (schools and universities) or to 18 places of worship including 17 mosques and even one church where members of Gaza’s tiny Christian community were huddled when it was struck.
Why Blair’s statement?
Blair has already shown himself to be one of the most pro-Israel cabinet members. “Hamas is a threat to the world and must be eliminated” said Blair explaining why he opposes a ceasefire. Blair’s press release about the hospital destruction is more about defending Israel and his boss, than about the “search for truth”.
Israel and its US backers have been on an urgent campaign to deflect rising global concern over its murderous bombing campaign all over Gaza. It has tried to focus international attention this one specific incident where it thinks it might have a plausible defence. It has recruited as many as it can to spread “doubt” about Israeli responsibility. Minister Blair seems eager to give Israel moral cover.
Giving credibility to the Israeli claim also deflects criticism of Trudeau by the Israel lobby in Canada. The day after the bombing Prime Minister Trudeau declared that “the bombing of a hospital in Gaza is not legal and called the situation ‘absolutely unacceptable.” While he did not say who was behind the attack, it put Israel squarely on the defensive – seeming to accuse Israel of a war crime.
This statement put Trudeau off-side with both the Israel lobby in Canada and with US President Joe Biden who had claimed almost immediately, (and somewhat facetiously), that the bombing was done by the “other team”. (i.e. Hamas). Trudeau quickly himself found under attack by the Israel lobby in Canada for supporting Hamas and demanding that he retract his earlier statement.
To his credit Trudeau took some time before backing down. But in the end he folded.
Blair’s announcement kills two birds with one stone. It gets his boss off the hook with the Israel lobby in Canada while helping protect Israel from rising public condemnation of its ongoing murderous bombing campaign in Gaza.
STOP THE BOMBING!!
Over 2 million people are trapped in Gaza. According to CBC, 700 were killed last night.
Write Prime Minister Trudeau (justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca) and demand that he call for a stop to the Israeli genocide on Gaza. Copy your friends.
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 
Peter,
You claim to be a supporter of the Palestinian people. As such, I am surprised to read this piece from you. You are trying to maintain the idea that there is some doubt about who bombed the the Al Ahli hospital, when there really isn’t any. Unlike Israel, Hamas has offered no evidence that it was the Israelis. In fact the scene was cleaned up quickly and so independent investigators who arrived at the scene were prevented from examining the debris, which would have confirmed that the cause of the disaster was a rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Don’t you think CTIP should speak out against the firing of these dangerous missiles from the middle of densely populated areas in Gaza? Where is your denunciation of PIJ which killed hundreds of Palestinians?
But even if Israel didn’t do it, you say, they put the hospital in harms way. Actually don’t you think it was the launch of the Hamas offensive on Oct 7 which put the hospital in harms way? What do you think Israel should have done in response to the crimes against humanity committed by the forces that crossed the border into the Gaza periphery? I know you are a sincere person, and I am surprised to see such faulty logic from you.
Finally your headline refers to the destruction of the hospital. But numerous reports have shown that the hospital was not destroyed. The missile landed in the parking lot and the hospital itself was left standing. Even the cars in the parking lot were intact other than being shredded by the kind of shrapnel that PIJ missiles typically contain, shrapnel designed to maximize the killing of people, not to destroy buildings. Of course the shrapnel was intended to kill hundreds of Israelis, not hundreds of Palestinians.
Perhaps it is the publication of misleading pieces like this one that makes it necessary for Bill Blair to speak up and set the record straight. Before looking for ulterior motives by the government, ask yourself why you find it necessary to post such a misleading article yourself.
Hey David, thanks for your always spirited defense of Israel.
“Intended to kill hundreds of Israels” you say Hamas and PIJ have launched thousands of missiles at Israel since the beginning of 2023. Over 30,000 I read somewhere. Do you know how many Israelis have died from those missiles since January 2023? Sixty seven. Last night only over 700 Palestinians died. Tell me how many were Hamas supporters.
Bill B, should be sitting in jail for what he did during the G20 summit in Toronto many years ago. He brutally gathered anyone who was in the area, where some activists were demonstrating for peace. On his orders even passerbys, who happened to pass by were arrested. Than they had to stand in the rain for many hours.
A couple of month before that, he and other hi ranking police officers, went to Israel to study as to how to control people, by using utmost force very decisively. This is the Israeli tactics for decades against Palestinians. Naked brutality. In addition, he together with Harper, wasted ONE BILLION DOLLARS for a bunch of foreigners for about three days here.
This so called “investigation” is the continuation of his crimes.
Four points:
(1) The denials from Israel’s team (Biden’ term) including that of Canada are full of weasel words that smack of uncertainty. I am referring to “a high degree of confidence” , “most likely”, “There is nothing that allows us to say that it is an Israeli strike”, “appeared too small”, and “the most likely hypothesis is” are not words you would use if you had any certainty at all. They are words you use when you fear that you might be disproven later or when you dont want to say, “We do not know”.
(2) We can, without any doubt, say that the event would not have happened if Israel were not attacking Gaza with every thing it has. The hospital would not have been so full without the attack. A willingness to negotiate would have led to a ceasefire. Israel is unable to deal with the fact that it has lost a lot of face and lost leverage because of the raid. Its bluster is a sign that it lost ground but is trying to pretend that it did not.
(3) I have not seen anyone mention what I would consider to be the most likely explanation — Israel could have intercepted a rocket launched from Gaza and the debris that resulted did this damage. This kind of thing seems to be happening frequently in Ukraine/Russia where each side seems to have the capability to down enemy missiles (not always of course) and a lot of damage is attributed to downed missiles and drones. I consider that more likely than a missile failing on its own very close to its launching spot.
(4) The whole discussion is a distraction from the need for a ceasefire and serious (moderated) negotiations about a long term solution to this war that has been going on for my whole long lifetime. .
We don’t have to look far to determine that Israel did bomb the hospital.
We just need to look at Israel’s past assaults. In everyone of them, hospitals, schools, clinics, ambulances were bombed. In one of the assaults, two UN places, where people gathered for safety.
The next day after the hospital bombing, I saw in BBC channel, where Peirce Morgan interviewed Palestinian ambassador to UK. He repeated pounding at him: “What about the BBC finding, that Israel did not do it”. This is indicative of all the investigations. The Ambassador neglected to shoot back: How in less than 24 hours, BBC came to this conclusion.
Honestly, Jake, I think fighting over who bombed the hospital is a distraction that serves Israeli interests. Israel has bombed enough other hospitals that arguing over this one is pointless. Accidents do happen in war, and this might be one. But it only happened because Israel was carrying out a massive bombing attack on Gaza.
Thank you for this and the other articles Peter.
I also believe the focus needs to be on why so many gathered in what they believed to be a safer space than their homes.
As for whose missile it was even the NY Times in their analysis, along with Bellingcat and Al Jazeera now say they are not sure. Yet, Israel, the US and Canada all state that it had to from Palestine. It reminds me of similar arguments made regarding the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh.
Yesterday, I met an individual who is making a significant contribution to Canada, he/she has had 22 family members killed in Gaza. She/he showed me several pictures including one of five very young children in his family who were killed by Israeli bombing.
Where I will focus is on the senseless deaths, wounds and trauma that will take place in the days to come.