Ceasefire, pause and humanitarian truce: a futile semantic debate?

Right to defend oneself

Prime Minister Trudeau's idea of ​​”humanitarian pauses” therefore fundamentally differs from that of around thirty federal MPs – including one twenty liberals — who spoke out in favor of an immediate ceasefire.

Before entering question period in Ottawa on Wednesday, Prime Minister Trudeau indicated that the humanitarian pauses are intended to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, to allow the release of hostages and the evacuation of civilians . “We recognize that Israel has the right to defend itself,” he added.

“It is certain that if there are certain countries which support Israel's military intervention in Gaza following the Hamas attack, it may become complicated for them to demand a ceasefire, especially if they support Israel's right to defend itself,” believes Olivier Arvisais.

While expressing support for Israel, the White House also encouraged “a humanitarian pause” from the fighting to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza. Many other countries, including France, are calling for a humanitarian pause in the bombing carried out by Israel.

“I think that all Western nations, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, have used the same language. We are not asking for a ceasefire. We understand that Israel must have the capacity to defend itself,” responded Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather on Wednesday.

“However, we want humanitarian aid to reach its destination, and 'pause' simply means temporarily putting your weapons on standby while that happens. I think it's a reasonable position,” he continued.

On Tuesday, the UN secretary-general denounced the “clear violations” of humanitarian law in Gaza and called for a ” immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, provoking the anger of Israel.

Positions in Quebec

In Quebec, two parties have positioned themselves without nuance for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, Québec solidaire and the Parti québécois (PQ). According to solidarity elected official Ruba Ghazal, herself of Palestinian origin, we must choose “the camp of peace.”

In the eyes of the PQ, “Hamas attacks must stop, Hamas must release all hostages, Israel must stop targeted or indiscriminate attacks against civilians [and] the blockade of the Palestinian territories must be lifted and humanitarian aid delivered,” wrote PQ MP Pascal Paradis on X on Tuesday.

As for the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Liberal Party of Quebec, they are content to support “a lasting solution by both parties to ensure the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace.” They both supported a motion to this effect last week, in which they refused to condemn Israel's military response to Hamas.

With François Carabin< /p>