Israel envoy to Canada signals resignation over 'different policy' under Netanyahu

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. Israel's ambassador to Canada says he intends to resign from his post early after a change in government back at home. Ronen Hoffman said on Twitter late Saturday that he is making the move due to the "different policy" Israel's new government is pursuing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Maya Alleruzzo

OTTAWA -

Israel's ambassador to Canada says he intends to leave his post early after a change in government back at home as protests mount in Tel Aviv over controversial new policies.

Ronen Hoffman said on Twitter late Saturday that he is making the move due to a change in direction under the new government.

"With the transition to the new government and to different policy in Israel, my personal and professional integrity has compelled me to request to shorten my post and return to Israel this summer," the envoy said in a tweet.

"I will continue serving the State of Israel here in Canada with the same passion and pleasure until a replacement is appointed later this year."

Hoffman, who was appointed to the role just over a year ago, did not elaborate on what he meant by "different policy." A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Ottawa said on Sunday that he had no further information to add.

His decision comes after Yael German, Israel's ambassador to France, announced in late December that she was resigning in protest of the incoming administration led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has returned to power with a governing coalition described as the farthest to the right in the nation's history.

Joe Roberts, who chairs the board of JSpaceCanada, said that Hoffman's statement was "diplomatic but clear."

"I think given the deepening and more and more complex relationship between Israel and Canada, this is significant," said Roberts, whose organization describes itself as a Canadian voice for progressive Jewish values and Israeli-Palestinian peace.

"I think that this should be a clear message to the Canadian Jewish community that if someone who is serving as Israel's ambassador is willing to step down and say that this goes against their integrity, then that means that as Jews, with our relationship to the state of Israel, it's time for us to speak up as well."

Roberts said he is calling on the Canadian government to commit to not pursuing official relationships with the most "extreme elements" of the governing coalition.

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest plans by Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, measures that opponents say imperil the country's democratic foundation.

Israeli media, citing police, said some 100,000 people were out protesting.

The protest followed another demonstration last week that also drew tens of thousands in an early challenge to Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox coalition government.

The government says a power imbalance has given judges and government legal advisers too much sway over lawmaking and governance. Netanyahu has pledged to press on with the changes despite the opposition.

In addition to the protests, the new government has faced mounting pressure after the country's attorney general asked Netanyahu to fire a key cabinet ally, following a Supreme Court ruling that disqualified him from holding a government post because of a conviction of tax offences.

Netanyahu, who himself remains on trial for corruption, fired the minister on Sunday in a move expected to deepen the rift over the power of the courts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2023.

-- With files from The Associated Press.