A conservative member of the Canadian parliament, Erin O’Toole, has pledged on Tuesday to move the Canadian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem shall he be elected prime minister in the country’s next general elections.
O’Toole’s pledge is part of a campaign to strengthen Canada’s support for Israel as a result of what he sees as “weakened and weavered” support under the office of the current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and the modern presence there just cements this. The Knesset, the Supreme Court and Foreign Ministry are all in west-Jerusalem,” O’Toole said in a video posted on Facebook.
When I’m prime minister, I will actually stand up for Canada’s values and Canada’s allies. 🇨🇦 🇮🇱 💪I will move our embassy to Jerusalem.
Posted by Erin O'Toole on Tuesday, July 7, 2020
East Jerusalem has been illegally occupied by Israel since 1967. In 1980, the city was formally annexed by Israel despite widespread international rejection and condemnation.
On May 14, 2018, the United States government defied the international position on the illegality of the Israeli occupation by accepting Israel’s annexation of the Palestinian city and moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
O’Toole has reportedly drafted parts of Canada’s Conservative Party’s positions on Israel and Palestine, in which the party also pledged to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“I launched the policy as the shadow minister for foreign affairs and was so very proud when our party overwhelmingly adopted the position at our Convention in Halifax,” O’Toole said.
The Canadian politician also claimed that “Sadly, under Justin Trudeau, that strong support has weakened and wavered,” adding that Canada is in need of “a principled conservative leader who will once again ensure Canada stands with our friends and allies like Israel.”
O’Toole’s position, however, seems inconsistent with what many observers have noted to be Canadian bias towards Israel.
#Canada and #UNSC: #Palestinian #Solidarity Unsettling #Canada’s Diplomatic Apparatus https://t.co/dLY8BBCUDo via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/bynzm7eH2d
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) June 14, 2020
“The Canadian government for at least a decade and a half has consistently isolated itself against world opinion on Palestinian rights at the UN,” Yves Engler, a Canadian author and analyst wrote in the Palestine Chronicle.
“Since coming to power – after the dubious record of the (Stephen) Harper government – the Trudeau government has voted against more than fifty UN resolutions upholding Palestinian rights that were backed by the overwhelming majority of member states,” Engler added.
“Canada has repeatedly sided with Israel. Ottawa justified Israel’s killing of ‘Great March of Return’ protesters in Gaza and has sought to deter the International Criminal Court from investigating Israeli war crimes.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
