Liberals pass motion on recognizing Palestinian state
Liberal and opposition MPs passed a motion Tuesday to review a potential pathway for Palestinian statehood. It urged for the 'quickest way' to recognize Palestine's sovereignty.
Liberal MPs passed a motion Tuesday to review a potential pathway for Palestinian statehood. A non-binding opposition motion also passed March 18 by a 204-118 vote.
During a closed-door meeting Thursday of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, the motion urged for the ‘quickest way’ to achieve Palestinian sovereignty, as first reported by CBC News.
MPs examined the motion’s text Tuesday, and it passed in committee. Members of Parliament will dedicate four study sessions on the matter.
It is expected to be disclosed publicly, according to sources. “This motion is an important motion for those peace-loving nations who support a two-state solution,” said Liberal MP and committee member Omar Alghabra, who presented the motion.
The motion reportedly supports a “two-state solution where a safe and secure state of Israel lives side by side with a safe and secure state of Palestine.”
WATCH: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pressed on his party's motion to officially recognize the government in Gaza.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 18, 2024
The NDP motion, however, makes no mention of Hamas, the terrorist group that governs Gaza.https://t.co/9Wj3bkgXB4 pic.twitter.com/cN89VivepA
A March 18 motion on Palestinian statehood passed a non-binding vote in the House of Commons but garnered considerable pushback. No further action has been taken by the Trudeau government.
Heather McPherson, the NDP foreign affairs critic and sponsor of the motion, called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to recognize “the State of Palestine”. She renewed those calls Monday during a press conference.
"We are at a very dangerous moment in time for this," claimed McPherson. "This is not a time when we need to have a study, this is not a time where we need to have further discussions," she added.
As a member of the foreign affairs committee, the NDP MP refused questions about in-camera discussions that took place last Thursday. "Hopefully, there will be a vote that is public coming soon, but I can't comment on anything that's happened in camera and no members of that committee should have," said McPherson.
BREAKING: Anti-Israel protesters disrupt Parliament in the House of Commons during question period, chanting "Free, free Palestine. Stop arming Israel."https://t.co/9Wj3bkgpLw pic.twitter.com/d1IAZS4G3D
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) February 14, 2024
Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather, Ben Carr, and Marco Mendicino, and Independent Kevin Vuong, voted with the Conservative caucus against the NDP motion. However, 14 last-minute amendments were added to the motion, embroiling all federal parties in a heated debate at the time. It passed 204 to 118.
The first reading of the motion called for Canada to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State, but subsequent amendments called for the “illegal occupation of Palestinian Territories” to end and condemned “settler violence”.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly informed MPs that the Liberal approach to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict would not change, regardless of the March 18 motion. "There is no possibility of a negotiated outcome," she reiterated Monday at a separate press conference.
"We reserve the right to make sure that we can recognize a Palestinian state at the right time, and that is why we're working with our like-minded countries to make sure that we can identify what are the conditions for this right time."
Whatever happens in the House of Commons tonight, the Liberals are a long way from Harper's speech to the Knesset in 2014 as the first Canadian Prime Minister to address the Israeli Parliament:
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) March 18, 2024
"The understanding that it is right to support Israel because, after generations of…
Israel launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip following acts of terror on October 7 by Hamas, which left approximately 1,200 people dead in southern Israel and nearly 240 Israelis and foreign nationals taken hostage.
Gaza’s health ministry claimed that the conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead and displaced nearly two million more, with the majority of victims either women or children. Those statistics remain disputed.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier said his government disagreed with Israel's hesitancy to adopt a two-state solution, while noting it is “unacceptable” for Hamas to jeopardize civilian lives and refuse to recognize Israel.
The current parliamentary climate on Israel-Palestine represents a swift departure from former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s support for the Jewish state.
“The understanding that it is right to support Israel because, after generations of persecution, the Jewish people deserve their own homeland and deserve to live safely and peacefully in that homeland,” he said during a speech to the Israeli Knesset.
“Let me repeat that: Canada supports Israel because it is right to do so.”
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