On December 19th, Canada voted along with 171 other countries at the UN endorsing Palestinian “self determination”. Two days later, Trudeau said the opposite in Toronto. Read more…
“Hamas cannot have any role in the future governance of Gaza or in the two-state solution,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said recently at a news conference in Toronto. This was only a few days after Canada had voted in favour of Palestinian self determination. Either Mr. Trudeau doesn’t understand what “self determination” means or he is a shocking hypocrite. (Or perhaps both).
What exactly is “self determination”? The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law. It states that peoples have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference. This right is embedded in the UN’s Founding Charter.
Trudeau would like the world to believe that Canada supports Palestinian human rights including sovereignty. At the same time, he must reassure his backers that Canada’s support for Israel is unwavering. How long can he play both sides?
Canada follows the Israeli and US lead in designating Hamas as a terrorist organization. But Hamas is a Palestinian political party with substantial support among the population, according to a recent CNN report. For Canada to claim to support Palestinian self-determination while openly saying we would not allow Hamas to have any role in a future Palestinian government, reeks of hypocrisy.
Not the first time
This two-faced Canadian practice will not likely surprise Palestinians. It is not the first time Canada has publicly upheld democratic principles in theory only to do the opposite in practice.
Western countries encouraged Palestinians to hold free legislative elections in 2006. They imposed conditions on political parties who wished to compete, and many countries including Canada sent observers to monitor the process. However, when Hamas won a majority of the seats [74 out of 132] , the US and Israel denied Hamas the right to govern and have allowed PA President Mahmoud Abbas to continue to rule by decree ever since.
Shamefully, Canada agreed because the Palestinians had chosen the “wrong” party.
“Canada recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination” proudly declares Global Affairs Canada on its official website.
Unless, of course they exercise self determination in a way we don’t like.
Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 
Well said, Peter. You call it the way it is ,and for this I thank you.
I keep forgetting that Hamas won the election but isn’t recognized by the west who deal with Abas instead. Total interference!
A.
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Just a reminder that after a long process Canada accepted the principle of self determination for the Palestinians in March, 1989, until 2006, and then again, after Harper was gone, from 2019 on. So the question is better posed as what can/should Canada be doing to support Palestinian self-determination.
Hey Andrew,
I am sure that the change in Canada’s policy post Harper was partly as a result of the good work of honest diplomats in the department. But my concern is that it has never been much more than lip service. Canada has never made much of a deal about settlement expansion even tho everyone knows that every new settlement makes the idea of a Palestinian state less and less plausible even if Israel could be persuaded to make it happen. So we accept the principle (good) but ignore it in practice. (bad).
We have to be careful not to assume that all Arab Palestinians want the same thing. For example, some might want a separate Palestinian state while others might object to being excluded from the parts of Palestine where they or their families once lived and would prefer a unified nonsectarian state that treated all ethnic groups equally. It is their choice, not ours. Its not even Trudeau’s or Biden’s preferences that matter. We object to other countries meddling in Canadian affairs; we have to forgo meddling in theirs.