Former diplomats call for arms embargo on Israel, recognition of Palestinian state

Mourners attend the funeral of the Palestinian teenager Amjad Nassar Awad Hawshiya, 15, who was killed in an Israeli raid, in the West Bank village of Yatta, south of Hebron, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

OTTAWA -- Dozens of former senior Canadian diplomats are calling on the federal government to recognize a Palestinian state, saying Israel’s conduct in the West Bank and Gaza violates Canadian interests and values.

In a letter sent to media outlets Wednesday, the former diplomats say Ottawa should impose a full arms embargo on Israel and give notice it will suspend its trade agreement with Israel if the country doesn’t change course.

The letter was signed by 173 former Canadian diplomats who have held senior roles as ambassadors, high commissioners, consuls-general, deputy heads of mission or permanent representatives.

The principles Canada stands for, they warn, “are being abandoned daily with the massive displacement, indiscriminate bombardment and starvation of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the violent attacks by extremist settlers in the West Bank.”

Some of these former heads of mission, such as Ferry de Kerckhove, Kerry Buck, Guy Saint-Jacques and Jon Allen, are well known for their media commentary.

The former envoys say Canada should advocate for “a UN mission to monitor a ceasefire and create a protected humanitarian corridor” in Gaza.

They say Canada should also “continue to refuse to channel aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation or dangerous airdrops” and keep insisting that the channels set up by the UN are the most effective way to feed desperate Palestinians.

The ex-diplomats say Ottawa should “urgently impose trade restrictions on all Israeli exports originating from illegal settlements in the occupied territories” and sanction those “directly involved in or facilitating illegal settlements.”

The diplomats argue Israel’s security is at risk if it loses more standing in the global community.

“Canada has always been a steadfast supporter of the State of Israel. However, this cannot include a dispensation to forsake its responsibilities under international humanitarian law to protect civilians,” the letter says.

It argues that strong statements coming out of this week’s UN meeting in New York on a two-state solution need to be met with concrete action, particularly given widespread reports of starvation in Gaza.

“The Israeli government has made some small but insufficient concessions to increase aid flows, while continuing to bomb and kill civilians,” the letter reads.

The former diplomats say recognition of Palestinian statehood would encourage serious peace talks and tell Israel “that it does not have a veto” on the matter.

“Recognition will not only reinforce our long-standing commitment to the self-determination of the Palestinian people but also our total rejection of any effort to displace or expel Palestinians,” the former diplomats argue.

“It will create the political space needed to set the stage for a serious bilateral negotiation process.”

The letter also calls on Hamas to lay down its arms and release hostages. It says Canada should “strengthen enforcement of financial regulations and criminal sanctions to disrupt and freeze any illegal flows of funding to Hamas or other terrorist groups.”

It says Canada “must encourage Palestinians to build a new vision for Palestine that eschews terrorism and violence and recognizes Israel’s right to exist in peace and security.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is mounting a campaign against recognizing a Palestinian state, arguing that “hollow statehood recognition will only reward and embolden Hamas.”

The group noted Prime Minister Mark Carney’s comment in June that there must be “a Zionist, if you will, Palestinian state that recognizes the right of Israel to exist.”

Canada co-signed a statement with allied countries Tuesday to “express the willingness of our countries to recognize the State of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-state solution, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call.”

The statement included France, Australia and New Zealand; France announced last week it will recognize a Palestinian state. The statement came out after the conference at the United Nations on the two-state solution, which Israel and the U.S. boycotted.

Carney also spoke Tuesday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after Starmer said the U.K. would officially recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not implement a ceasefire and drastically scale up aid in Gaza.

Recognizing a Palestinian state would upgrade the Palestinian Authority’s status in Canada.

Like Taiwan, Palestine already has a special representative office in Ottawa. It can issue Palestinian passports and has an ambassador-rank official who can meet with senior Canadian officials. Full recognition would upgrade that delegation to an embassy.

The main goal of countries that have recently recognized Palestinian statehood is to preserve a two-state solution, as Israeli cabinet ministers call for Palestinians to be expelled.

Palestinian governance is currently split between the three territories that Israel has occupied since 1967.

Israel has control over East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state. In 1947, the UN called for the city to become a neutral, international city.

The Palestinian Authority currently controls large parts of the West Bank through the Fatah party. Hamas has full control of Gaza.

Neither territory has held an election since 2006 and polls by the anti-corruption Aman Coalition think tank have found widespread concerns about corruption in both governments.

Israel has pushed back firmly on calls for Palestinian statehood, noting the divided leadership and arguing both Hamas and Fatah run corrupt governments that have supported terrorists.

Israel has further argued that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward Hamas for its brutal attack on Israel in October 2023.

Canada has said it wants the Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza, but only after the organization undertakes deep reforms.

Ottawa pledged $10 million this week to “accelerate reform and capacity-building for the Palestinian Authority.”

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman wrote in a Wednesday blog post that Canada should prepare to list Palestine as a “state sponsor of terrorism” if it recognizes the territory.

“To dignify Hamas -- a group that carried out mass murder, rape, and hostage-taking with political concessions -- is not diplomacy,” Lantsman argued, saying France and the U.K. are undermining efforts to free Israeli hostages.

Liberal MP Will Greaves argues Canada must recognize Palestinian statehood in order to deter Israel.

“We are failing the test set by us to prevent mass humanitarian tragedies,” he said Sunday in a video posted on social media.

“Crimes against civilians, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and acts of genocide are never justified -- nor is criminal impunity for the leaders who order or permit such acts to occur.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press