A Canadian government official said that Canada will stop exporting weapons to Israel due to continued international criticism of its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip for the 166th day.
“The situation on the ground prevents us from exporting any military equipment,” the Canadian official said,
Israel is one of the most prominent importers of Canadian arms, as it received military equipment worth 21 million Canadian dollars in 2022, according to Radio-Canada, and this was preceded by shipments worth 26 million dollars in 2021, which places it in the list of the top 10 recipients of Canadian arms exports.
Earlier this month, a group of lawyers and Canadians of Palestinian origin filed a complaint against the Canadian government, demanding the suspension of arms exports to Israel, considering that Ottawa is violating domestic and international law.
Canada’s parliament passed a non-binding motion late Monday calling on the international community to work toward a two-state solution to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, in line with government policy, according to Reuters.
The vote had been delayed by last-minute wrangling over wording supporting Palestinian statehood, an idea that looked set to deepen splits inside the ruling Liberal Party, said Reuters.
(WAFA)
