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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau, Biden weigh Israel support amid changing sentiments
The last time the UN voted on a similar measure in late October, Canada voted with the US and Israel, but this time Canada, Australia, and New Zealand flipped their votes. The three prime ministers condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself but noted their concern about the “scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ongoing risks to all Palestinian civilians.”
President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has provided “rock solid” support for Israel, expanding arms exports to Israel and using its UN Security Council veto power to thwart international censure. But Biden did voice rare US criticism of Israel’s military approach this week, publicly noting that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated on the international stage.
“Right now (Israel) has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting it," Biden said Tuesday. "But they’re starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place."
Both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Biden are facing general elections over the next year and need to be mindful of how support for Israel is seen at home. Trudeau didn’t make a solidarity trip to Israel after Oct. 7 like so many other leaders, including Biden, and has been treading a fine line in public statements. Polling shows a majority of Canadians want a ceasefire, although Israel’s supporters, including some in Trudeau’s caucus, argue that Israel must not stop its military campaign until it has eliminated Hamas.
Biden’s strong support for Israel may haunt him on Election Day. Polling indicates that younger US voters are disenchanted with his position on the war, and if voters of Middle Eastern descent refuse to cast ballots in protest, it could cost Biden precious votes in tight races.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes remarks during a pro-Israel rally
Trudeau under scrutiny in Gaza war
As Joe Biden was preparing to head to Israel on Tuesday, Justin Trudeau told reporters he was horrified by the news from Gaza, where an explosion at a hospital that caused civilian fatalities was then believed to have been caused by an Israeli air strike.
“The news that coming out of Gaza is horrific and absolutely unacceptable,” Trudeau told reporters. “International humanitarian and international law needs to be respected in this and in all cases. There are rules around wars and it’s not acceptable.” In French, he said “it’s not legal” to bomb a hospital.
Later Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, tweeted a similar statement.
Both were criticized later for being too quick to comment, after experts anaylzing the evidence said it was likely that a Palestinian rocket, rather than an Israeli airstrike, was to blame.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking at an antisemitism conference, warned against "instantaneously believing false and misleading headlines in publications like the CBC."
Biden, in contrast, said on Twitter that he had “directed [his] national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened.”
On Wednesday, the Conservatives pressed the Liberals to confirm that the explosion was the result of a Palestinian rocket, which the government did not do, and Joly’s tweet — which implied Israel was responsible — was still up, to the consternation of commentators.
Trudeau’s Liberal party is subject to internal tensions as Canadians — and Liberal MPs — with relatives on both sides of the horrible conflict press the government to condemn one side or the other. Trudeau and Joly’s response to the hospital tragedy has angered Israel’s supporters. If they respond with different messages, they will undoubtedly anger Canadians who blame Israel for the nightmare in Gaza.