New York: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced at the United Nations General Assembly that Canada will provide 100 million Canadian dollars ($71m) in international assistance for Palestinians, citing the need to preserve “the possibility of a two-state solution”.
Speaking on the sidelines of UNGA, Carney outlined that 80 percent of the funding will go towards direct humanitarian aid. The remaining 20 percent will support peace and security efforts, including Canada’s multiyear initiative to train Palestinian police in the occupied West Bank.
Carney noted that Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure “immense human suffering”, while acknowledging that Israelis face “existential threats from Hamas and from Iran and its proxies”.
The prime minister also criticised Israel’s E1 settlement project, announcing Canada’s “intention to bring forward trade restrictions targeting goods produced in those illegal Israeli settlements”. Canada is among 12 states that have announced such trade restrictions on goods from settlements in occupied territory. Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, Ottawa has pledged more than 600 million Canadian dollars ($426m) in aid for Palestinian civilians.
French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed the assembly, condemning world leaders for restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. “There are those who claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened the way for humanitarian aid deliveries. This sight is shameful. Shame on all of us,” Macron said. He added, “What is our credibility worth if we remain inactive in the face of Gaza?”
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told delegates that failure to deliver a two-state solution will “corrode trust” in politicians who have spoken about the issue without taking action. The UK has also banned trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, with Burnham describing the E1 settlement expansion plan as “a deliberate attempt to block a two-state solution”.
“We all live in an era of low trust in politics. Many people in this room, many politicians around the world, have spoken for decades about a two-state solution. If we fail to back those words with deeds, we will further corrode trust in the political, diplomatic and international process,” Burnham told the assembly.
