Laura Osman, Stephanie Taylor and Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
Published on Monday, March 18, 2024 11:48 PM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, March 19, 2024 12:13 amEDT
The social fissures forming over the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip manifested themselves Monday in the House of Commons when an NDP motion to recognize Palestine as a state was reversed before the final vote.
MPs debated for hours the non-binding but highly symbolic motion, which reflects the emotional dispute over the Palestinian right to self-determination and Israel’s right to defend itself that has developed over the months since the Hamas attack on 7 October.
But at the last minute, the ruling Liberals tabled a substantial motion that dramatically softened the NDP’s original call, to the dismay of opposition Conservatives and at least two Liberal MPs who planned to vote against the original motion.
Instead, the amended version calls on Canada to “actively pursue” the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution, which aligns with Canada’s existing policy.
It also included a reference to Hamas as a terrorist organization and a demand that Hamas lay down its weapons.
Arguments that MPs had not had time to think about or debate the rewritten proposal were rejected and the new motion was passed by a margin of 204-117.
The ongoing war has opened divisions in the liberal group, with some members staunchly defending Israel while others denounce the country over the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip and violence in the West Bank.
Earlier in the day, Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather made an impassioned plea in the House, describing how “demoralized and intimidated” the Jewish community feels.
“This motion creates a winner and a loser,” he said of the version initially put forward by the NDP.
“The way this motion is constructed clearly creates a false equivalence between the State of Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.”
Housefather, an outspoken critic of his own party’s handling of the conflict, voted against the amended motion, as did former cabinet minister Marco Mendicino and Manitoba MP Ben Carr.
After the vote, journalists asked Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly about deputies from her own party who were unhappy with the vote. Joly responded: “we are a big family and we always work together.”
He said the government’s “intention” is to follow the policies its MPs voted for in the motion.
“That’s why we’ve worked very hard to make sure that we could get the text done,” he said.
When NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson initially introduced the motion Monday, she said “now is the time to recognize Palestine.”
He detailed the humanitarian crisis unfolding amid the war between Israel and Hamas, adding that the thousands of Palestinian children facing famine “are not Hamas.”
“The decision to deny help to these children is political,” McPherson said.
Despite the massive changes to their motion, the NDP celebrated the passage of the amended version as a historic victory.
The NDP “forced the Liberals” to stop selling weapons to the Israeli government, support the International Court of Justice and impose sanctions on extremist settlers in the West Bank, party leader Jagmeet Singh said on social media platform , formerly known as Twitter, on Monday night.
However, none of the motion’s measures are binding and many now reflect the Liberals’ current policy.
B’nai Brith Canada expressed outrage after the House passed the motion, calling it an “appalling and unprecedented anti-Israel proposal.”
“Canada should not stand in the way as Israel works to neutralize terrorists who impede the implementation of sustainable peace,” the group’s government relations director, David Granovsky, said in a statement.
Michael Chong, the conservative foreign affairs critic, said his party believes in a two-state solution, but that it must emerge as a result of negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives.
A process of this type could take months, “if not years,” said the parliamentarian.
Joly also told the House in French that lasting security for both Israelis and Palestinians would only be achieved through a “negotiated political solution.”
However, Melissa Lantsman, one of the Conservatives’ deputy leaders, said Joly’s remarks left Canadians with a confusing impression of the government’s position. Lantsman accused him of having none.
“They send one group of parliamentarians to one community to say one thing, and another group of parliamentarians to another community to say something else… they have no moral clarity,” Lantsman said.
Lantsman called recognition of Palestinian statehood a “blind sell-out to evil forces at home and abroad” and “a clear indication of a group literally defined as terrorist by Canadian law.”
Canada’s policy of supporting the creation of a “sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous” state for the Palestinians has not changed since the war began.
The government has not spoken about whether Canada should officially recognize Palestine as a country outside of a negotiated settlement, but some allies are considering it.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Monday with Benny Gantz, Israel’s defense minister, who said on social media that he was grateful for Trudeau’s commitment to Israeli security.
But Gantz also warned that unilateral recognition of Palestine would be “counterproductive to the mutual goal of long-term regional security and stability and would ultimately reward terrorism.”
A readout of the call released by the Prime Minister’s Office did not mention the motion, but said Trudeau “underscored the importance of renewing efforts toward a two-state solution to ensure lasting peace in the region.”
In late January, the UK said it was considering unilateral recognition of Palestine, and Foreign Secretary David Cameron said this would preserve momentum towards a two-state solution and a peaceful goal for Palestinians to work towards. .
US President Joe Biden’s administration made similar comments in February, amid concerns that the Israeli government was taking steps to block the viability of an eventual Palestinian state.
The war began when Hamas militants swept into southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking another 240 hostage.
Authorities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip say Israel’s military offensive in the densely populated area has killed at least 31,700 Palestinians, including thousands of children.
-With additional reporting by Anja Karadeglija