Former senior Canadian diplomats urge Ottawa to impose 'robust' sanctions on Israel

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed during the Israel Hamas war, in Gaza City, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

OTTAWA — Almost 200 former senior Canadian diplomats are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to impose “robust” sanctions on Israel over deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

In a letter sent to media outlets, the former diplomats asked the federal government to review Canada’s trade agreement with Israel and issue a notice that a strategic partnership agreement will be suspended if those conditions don’t improve.

“It is evident that without robust international sanctions the Israeli government will persist in disregarding international law and human rights and will press forward with its plans to expand settlements,” reads the letter, issued late Thursday.

The letter cites Israel’s restrictions on aid and journalists reaching Gaza and increasing violence by settlers in the West Bank, where Israeli officials say they want to make a Palestinian state impossible.

It also says a high civilian death toll in Lebanon suggests Israel is violating international law. Israel says the campaign is targeting Hezbollah.

“While Canada recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns regarding Hezbollah, the razing of entire towns and the high civilian death toll is a serious violation of international law,” reads the letter, which was signed by 190 former diplomats who held high-ranking positions.

It follows on a similar letter issued last July that demanded Canada halt all arms trade with Israel.

“Despite a declared ceasefire, the Israeli government continues to impede humanitarian aid to Gaza and to destroy civilian infrastructure including hospitals and water facilities while killing and injuring hundreds of Palestinians, many of whom are women and children,” reads Thursday’s letter.

The letter notes that when Canada officially recognized the State of Palestine last September, Carney said the decision was based on an assessment that the conditions for a two-state solution were being systematically destroyed.

The former diplomats argue the situation has only worsened since, citing plans to build more settlements in the West Bank that Israeli officials have said would make it almost impossible for Palestinians to have a contiguous territory.

“At the same time, extremist settlers, often with the tacit support and at times active participation of Israeli police and military, are violently displacing large numbers of Palestinians from their homes and lands, killing and injuring with impunity,” the letter reads.

The diplomats also say they want Ottawa to take legal action against Canadian companies that bid on or help build settlements Canada says are illegal under international law. They also call on the federal government to accelerate efforts to revoke charitable status for groups supporting settlements or funding for the Israeli military.

They also say they want Canada to provide “unequivocal support” for actions taken by the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice on allegations of war crimes and genocidal acts in the region.

The Canadian Press has requested comment from the Carney’s office as well as from Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, and from Israel’s embassy in Ottawa. It has not yet received a response from any of them.

Israel has repeatedly argued it is upholding international law in its fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and it has urged countries like Canada to focus on threats to Israel emanating from Iran and its proxies.

Relations have been strained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not spoken with Prime Minister Mark Carney since he took office more than a year ago.

The letter comes as Sen. Yuen Pau Woo asks the government to follow through on a joint statement it issued a year ago with France and the U.K. That statement threatened “concrete actions” if restrictions remained on humanitarian aid reaching Gaza.

“It is transparently clear that the ultimatum — the threat — has been made and Israel has not provided any improvement,” Woo told the chamber on May 5.

Last month, European Union foreign ministers rejected a proposal to suspend the bloc’s preferential trade arrangement with Israel, though the EU agreed Monday to sanction Israeli settlers and Hamas officials.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press