This week, Jews around the world have recited the “Unetaneh Tokef,” a prayer that describes God’s judgment on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, when fates are inscribed in the Book of Life. The prayer asks questions about the nature of human life and death, including: “who shall live and who shall die, who by water and who by fire.”
Eleven years ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood in the Israeli Knesset using those exact words to describe the allyship between Canada and Israel, “through fire and water, Canada will stand with you,” he declared.
Fast forward to where we are today, with Prime Minister Mark Carney announcing that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state, representing one of the most significant and troubling shifts in Canadian foreign policy in decades.
October 7 should have been a clarifying moment for Canada. A reminder that terrorism cannot be excused, and that democratic allies deserve steadfast support. Instead, Carney has reframed it as an opportunity for diplomatic innovation. Hamas itself could not have scripted a better outcome: survive Israel’s military response and emerge with the prize of international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Canada’s traditional Middle East posture was rooted in support for negotiated settlements, not unilateral recognition. Successive governments, Liberal and Conservative alike, understood that statehood had to emerge from a peace process that ensured Israel’s security while fostering Palestinian self-determination.
Carney’s government has abandoned that principle. Recognition without conditions does not strengthen moderates or bring the parties closer to peace. It instead tells Israel, Canada’s democratic ally, the region’s only liberal democracy, that its core security concerns can be brushed aside. At the same time, it signals to Palestinian leadership, fractured between a corrupt Palestinian Authority and the genocidal Hamas, that violence and intransigence are not obstacles but bargaining chips.
