Is Canada's partial arms suspension to Israel symbolic or consequential?
Canada suspended 30 permits for arms sales to Israel and canceled a contract with a US firm to sell ammunition made in Quebec to the Israeli army.
Canada became the latest country after Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and other European nations to announce the suspension of select arms sales permits to Israel, in a bid to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to reach an agreement on a cease-fire in the war against Hamas in Gaza. Experts argue, however, that the decision will have little to no impact on Israel given the limited scope of the defense ties between the two.
What happened: Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly announced Sept. 10 that Ottawa had suspended 30 permits for arms sales to Israel and canceled a contract with a wholly owned subsidiary of the US-based General Dynamics Corporation to sell ammunition made in Quebec to the Israeli army.
Speaking at a Liberal Party caucus retreat in British Columbia, Joly did not mince words when referring to the $61 million ammunition sale by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Canada.
“As for the question regarding General Dynamics, our policy is clear,” she said. “We will not have any form of arms, or parts of arms, be sent to Gaza. Period. How they’re being sent and where they’re being sent is irrelevant. And so therefore, my position is clear, the position of the government is clear, and we’re in contact with General Dynamics.”
