On November 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a prepared statement that called on Israel to exercise “maximum restraint” in its military response to Hamas’s terrorist attacks. He spoke of how “killing of women, children, and babies” in Gaza needs to stop.
He also specifically raised concerns about fighting in and around Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, though failed to highlight that Israel believes an operational command centre used by Hamas is located under the hospital compound, an assessment shared by American intelligence services. Following a ground operation targeting the hospital on Wednesday, the Israeli military claimed to have evidence to back up these assertions and released a video that it said showed weapons recovered from the hospital compound.
The prime minister’s statement drew criticism from across the political spectrum in Israel (including the country’s three most recent prime ministers) and among domestic voices who accused him of unfairly targeting Israel and neglecting the actions of Hamas including the 240 Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza. Here are five tweets that reflect that criticism.
Trudeau’s polarizing statement drew several responses from Israeli leaders across the political spectrum who were united in their condemnations of the Canadian prime minister.
Most pointedly, Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, took to X to issue a forceful rebuke. Singling him out by name, he called on Trudeau to stand with his allies in “defending civilization” and opposing “Hamas barbarism.”
Naftali Bennett, former prime minister of Israel, agreed with Netanyahu and stressed the importance of stopping Hamas.
Yair Lapid, another former prime minister and now leader of the opposition party in Israel who has called on Netanyahu to resign from office, found common ground with his political opponent on this issue and released his own statement on X in an attempt to counter Trudeau’s talking points.
Hub contributor and Atlantic journalist David Frum suggests that while Trudeau’s words will make no difference to Israel’s actions, his message may increase harassment of Jews at home in Canada.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which represents Jewish federations across Canada, echoed the statements of Netanyanhu, Bennett, and Lapid by noting that Trudeau’s rhetoric is harmful in the way that it encourages Hamas.
If you enjoy Hub podcasts (including bi-weekly episodes with David Frum and Amanda Lang), be sure to check out more insightful commentary on The Hub’s YouTube page:
