Canada Suspends 30 Arms Export Permits to Israel Amid Gaza Conflict

About 30 arms export permits with Israel in Canada are canceled, including a large deal linked to a subsidiary of an American company in Canada for a deal with the U. S. government. Canada will no longer export assault weapons that could be used in Gaza, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said yesterday, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau banned further imports of weapons that might be utilized in the ongoing conflict where Israel’s armed forces operations have worsened a humanitarian catastrophe. 

 These export permits that were stopped were issued before the stop export of weapons sale, which was caused by increased violence in Gaza in January. Joly also revealed that her ministry is currently auditing all the contracts offering Canadian weapons from Israel and other countries. “After that, I froze about 30 Canadian companies’ permits,” Joly said, adding that the government will continue the efforts to ensure Canadian-made weapons do not fuel the war. 

 Joly stressed that the cartridges manufactured by the Canadian subsidiary of the US-based General Dynamics company will not be exported to Israel through other countries. She emphasized, “Our policy is clear: to prevent weapons or components of weapons from reaching Gaza, we will not permit their shipment anywhere via any route or under any disguise whatsoever. 

 The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the largest Muslim civil liberties organization in Canada, applauded Joly for her unequivocal position and welcomed her rejection of any possibility that would pave the way to permit General Dynamics to sell explosives. “@NCCM_: ‘Minister Joly sent a clear message today to say that Canada’s policy on a weapons ban to Israel is still intact,’ NCCM posted on X (formerly Twitter). 

 Nonetheless, Joly’s recent decision to boycott Israel has raised more eyebrows among interest organizations. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, cited by The Globe and Mail, criticized her statement, saying that Canada’s change in policy was disturbing. 

 This action put Canada on similar other nations, including the United Kingdom, that have reviewed its supply of arms to Israel since the start of the Gaza campaign. In one of the recent episodes, Britain’s Labour government blocked 30 arms supply licenses to Israel based on a recommendation that the UK-made equipment could have been utilized in Gaza, which is unlawful under the greying human rights legislation. Besides, the suspension of the driver was conducted on the spot. 

 These decisions were met with disapproval from Israel’s current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who described them as shameful and said that they simply encouraged Hamas. Within the framework of the conflict that started in Gaza in October 2023, close to 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis, and 70% of the victims are women and children.