Senior government officials said a temporary pause which includes millions of dollars worth of non-lethal goods and technology, such as night vision goggles, has been in effect since January 8.
Canada paused the approval of exports of non-lethal military goods and technology to Israel two months ago over possible human rights violations, according to a local media report.
Senior government officials who spoke to the Toronto Star on the condition of anonymity said the temporary pause, which includes millions of dollars worth of non-lethal goods and technology, such as night vision goggles, has been in effect since January 8.
The officials said that the decision stems from the challenging task of establishing whether such exports could be used in human rights violations.
Despite the move, the officials reportedly said Canada continues to receive and review applications for non-lethal exports to Israel, which are left “pending” until there is some clarity about their use by Israel.
According to recent documents released to the Star by Global Affairs of Canada, the federal government approved over $28.5 million in new export permits for military goods and technology to Israel in the war’s initial two months, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on January 31, refuted claims of weapons exports to Israel, asserting that Canada’s arms permitting system is “one of the most stringent globally” as he emphasized that permits have not been issued since October 7.
Federal Government Lawsuit
Last week, a coalition of Palestinian Canadians and human rights lawyers filed a lawsuit against the federal government seeking to stop it from permitting the export of military goods and technology to Israel.
The lawsuit was filed by Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), Al-Haq Law in the Service of Man – a Palestinian human rights group – along with Palestinian-Canadians.
“We are calling on Foreign Affairs Minister Joly to comply with the law and halt all military export approvals to Israel,” Henry Off, member of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights in a statement.
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Over 31,300 Killed
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,490 Palestinians have been killed, and 73,439 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(PC, Anadolu)
