Canada is among the 153-members of the United Nations General Assembly that voted in favour of the resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Ten countries voted against while 23 abstained.

Just last week the US vetoed a similar resolution at the UN Security Council however, unlike Security Council ones, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding.

Canada’s vote is a big shift in its long-standing position of voting with Israel on major resolutions there.

”We must recognized that what is unfolding before our eyes will only enhance the cycle of violence,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly just ahead of the vote.

 

 

”This will not lead to the durable defeat of Hamas, which is necessary, and the threat that it poses to Israel.

With the future of Israelis and Palestinians in mind, Canada is joining the international calls for humanitarian ceasefire,” added Joly.

She pointed out the Trudeau government has said from the start that Israel has the right to defend itself.

”And how Israel defends itself matters. It matters for the future of both Israelis and Palestinians, and it matters for the future of the region.”