Canada’s Stance on Palestine

Until this year’s Arab Spring, protest in the Arab world was synonymous with the Palestinian struggle, as the citizenry of Arab states remained spectators to Palestinian-Israeli unrest. Now, since members of these citizenry have risen against their own governments, Palestine’s divided government has united and made a bid to the United Nations (UN) to declare Palestinian statehood. These political developments in Palestine are partly attributable to the Arab Spring: the unification of Hamas and Fatah was brokered by the transitional Egyptian government, which also opened to Palestinians the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The interim Egyptian government evidently strongly supports Palestine in its conflict with Israel, but the degree to which goals of the Arab uprisings align with those of Palestinian protestors remains to be seen. As has been pointed out, Palestine’s pursuit of statehood is not identical to its pursuit of human rights and an end to Israeli occupation. 

Opponents of the UN bid stress this point, arguing that the bid is counter-productive in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has aligned with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama in his stance that Palestinians should view negotiation with Israel as the only viable method of achieving statehood. Addressing the UN General Assembly Wednesday, President Obama opposed Palestine’s bid on the grounds that ‘genuine peace can only be realized between Israelis and Palestinians themselves’ in attempt to deter Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from taking the bid to the UN Security Council.

Yet, just as the Arab Spring revolutions were endorsed and aided by international leaders and bodies, the Palestinian statehood bid has been backed by the UN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank – the IMF and the World Bank released a report in April arguing that the time has come for Palestinian Authority to assume sovereignty.

As the world anticipates a UN decision on Palestinian statehood, OpenCanada charts a selected history of Canada’s voting on Palestine at the UN. 

Resolution:
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources

Resolution:
The human rights situation arising from the recent Israeli military operations in Lebanon

Resolution:
The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination

Resolution:
The Occupied Syrian Golan – Concern over military occupation of Arab territory – illegality of Israel’s decision to effectively annex the Syrian Arab Golan

Resolution:
The Occupied Syrian Golan – Concern over military occupation of Arab territory – illegality of Israel’s decision to effectively annex the Syrian Arab Golan

Resolution:
Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem

Resolution:
Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem

Resolution:
Applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Territory, including Jerusalem, and other occupied Arab territories

Resolution:
Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine

Records courtesy of United Nations Bibliographic Information System and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).

Photo courtesy of Reuters.