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Canada’s remarkable joint statement on the suffering in Gaza is a good first step

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tuesday

Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in tents in Gaza City on Tuesday.Khamis Al-Rifi/Reuters

Lloyd Axworthy was Canada’s foreign minister from 1996 to 2000. He is chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council. Allan Rock has served as minister of justice and attorney general of Canada and Canadian ambassador to the United Nations.

Canada has now joined 25 Western nations in issuing a joint statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, condemning the “drip feeding of aid” and the “inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.” The statement declared that “the Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,” and urged Israel to “comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.” The statement is remarkable in its directness, evidence that much of the international community is no longer willing to be mere bystanders as the suffering in Gaza continues.

Canada, 24 other nations urge Israel to end war in Gaza, condemn ‘drip feeding of aid’

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