EXCLUSIVE: Canada drops recognition of Palestinian statehood after Trudeau-Gantz phone call

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has convinced Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to amend the wording of a vote in parliament on Monday by dropping recognition of Palestinian statehood, a source told Jewish News.

The source said Gantz spoke to Trudeau as Canada’s House of Commons debated a non-binding NDP which initially called for an immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood, an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, increasing humanitarian aid into Gaza and an embargo on arms trade with Israel.

Gantz phone call with Trudeau caused his party to amend the proposal on the table by replacing “officially recognise the State of Palestine” with a call to “work with international partners to actively pursue the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including towards the establishment of the State of Palestine as part of a negotiated two-state solution.”

Israel’s Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed criticised the initial motion which included recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying it “rewards Hamas — a listed terrorist organisation by the Government of Canada — for its sadistic attack. Empowering terrorists will only evoke more bloodshed and jeopardise any peaceful resolution to the conflict.”

A number of countries have debated whether to recognise Palestinian statehood in recent months, including Spain, Norway and Ireland.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has previously said that his government supports the recognition of a Palestinian state but that such a decision should be made collectively in the EU as “more significant statement.”