By Marc Gold, Chair, Canada-Israel Committee

Embassy Magazine | April 5, 2006

There has been much commentary about Canada's March 28 decision to suspend contacts with the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA).

The decision was the natural and logical progression of a course of action that began back in November 2002 when Hamas was declared a terrorist organization under Canadian law. As Foreign Minister Peter MacKay noted on CBC Radio's As It Happens on March 30, the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government is "a terrorist organization listed in Canada...any direct involvement with that organization runs contrary to our own domestic criminal code."

Since taking office, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has consistently emphasized - as have the leaders of all democratic nations as well as the representatives of the Quartet (as recently as March 30) - the conditions a Hamas-led Palestinian government must meet to achieve international legitimacy.

Foreign Minister MacKay made the point clearly on As It Happens: "We've been completely consistent and we've been speaking openly about what we feel is a pre-condition to support in the sense of monetary aid when it comes to Hamas... These are concerns that are widely held, including by the Quartet [comprising representatives of the UN, Russia, the European Union, and the United States] and many other countries outside the Quartet. And they are quite simply that Hamas condemn the violence, change position, renounce their aggression towards Israel, recognize that state and that they accept previous agreements, obligations, including the Roadmap for peace."

Canada was the first country to make its position public and has demonstrated meaningful leadership on the international stage. For this, the Harper government is to be commended.

The failure by Hamas to reorient its policies and its refusal to heed the calls of PA President Mahmoud Abbas to moderate its positions attest to the intransigence and inherently destructive nature of that organization. Canada has taken the appropriate path by suspending its relations with the Hamas-led Palestinian government approved on March 28, while continuing to support the Palestinian people through humanitarian aid.

Unlike many of its Western allies, Canada has never transferred developmental assistance directly to the Palestinian Authority. All contributions have been made through multilateral institutions such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) or to NGOs operating in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Canada-Israel Committee (CIC) supports Canada's decision to continue responding to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. That said, there is a significant challenge confronting the Canadian government. As Foreign Minister MacKay explained on As It Happens, it is to ensure that Canadian humanitarian aid will be used by groups unaffiliated with Hamas and the PA, and in ways consistent with fundamental Canadian values: "What we want to do...is see that the money is going directly to the people, used for the purposes in which it's intended towards establishing democratic institutions, aiding people in a humanitarian way, by people who are not continuing the advocacy of terrorism or violence or destabilization."

Most importantly, the CIC endorses Canada's commitment to seek out and engage "voices of moderation" within Palestinian society. We do not underestimate the challenge confronting these people under a Hamas-led government. Nevertheless, it is our sincere hope - and the sincere hope of the overwhelming majority of Israelis - that these voices of moderation will prevail and allow the Palestinian people to chart a constructive path that will lead to the achievement of their legitimate aspirations. Similarly, it is our hope that Canadian supporters of the Palestinians will also call publicly for moderation and actively seek to support those who espouse coexistence with Israel.

Like the government of Canada, the CIC supports the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict envisioned in the Road Map. (This vision is also strongly shared by the Israeli people, as reflected in the results of the March 28 Knesset elections.) And while it is reckless to predict the future course of events in the Middle East, it is our sincere belief that by withholding support for the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government while maintaining humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, Canada has contributed towards the goal of a secure Jewish state and the emergence of a stable Palestinian state living beside each other in peaceful coexistence.