Photo: Jacques Boissinot La Presse canadienne «La CAQ nous rend ainsi complices d’un gouvernement d’extrême droite qui accumule les crimes de guerre, les crimes contre l’humanité, les nettoyages ethniques et qui a démarré un processus génocidaire depuis quelques mois», affirme Haroun Bouazzi.
Maintaining an official representation in Tel Aviv makes Quebec complicit in the war crimes and ethnic cleansing carried out by the government of Israel in the Gaza Strip, a Quebec solidaire (QS) MP declared on Thursday.
Haroun Bouazzi was outraged by the resolution of the Minister of International Relations, Martine Biron, to keep a branch of the Quebec government open on Israeli soil in the context of the conflict that has been raging since October. “The CAQ thus makes us complicit in a far-right government which accumulates war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and which has started a genocidal process for several months,” declared the MP on the social networks.
QS filed a petition with nearly 12,000 signatures on Thursday asking the government to give up its Quebec office in Israel.
For Ms. @M_Biron and the CAQ, we absolutely must open the Quebec office in Israel because it is our gateway to doing business in the Middle -East. The CAQ thus makes us complicit in a far-right government which accumulates war crimes, crimes against…
— Haroun Bouazzi (@HarounBouazzi) February 15, 2024
In the Chamber, Ms. Biron stated that this office located in Tel Aviv is still open, but that its head of post is currently in Montreal.
While expressing her concerns about the situation in this region of the world, the minister defended the maintenance of this antenna on Israeli soil. “Quebec has a voice on the international stage, does business in the Middle East,” she said. The Quebec office in Israel is the opening, it is the gateway to the Middle East. »
At the end of January, the National Assembly adopted a declaration calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, Ms. Biron recalled. “Just before the adoption of the motion which was unanimous in this chamber, I met the general delegate of Palestine, who was here in our galleries, and she was very happy with the position we all took, the 125 elected officials of this chamber, and it’s the same thing for the Israeli community,” she said.
In a press briefing which preceded question period, Ms. Biron acknowledged that the subject was delicate because of the “still bloody war currently in Israel.” “We want to keep all of our partners, our partners in Israel, our partners in Palestine and in the entire Middle East region,” she explained.
Hurtful decision
Solidarity MP Ruba Ghazal then affirmed that the Quebec government lacked sensitivity to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “I am very, very hurt by the indifference of the minister, by the indifference of the CAQ government, of the Quebec government towards the fate of the Palestinian people,” she declared at a press briefing.
Ms. Ghazal affirmed that the Quebec people were for peace and that they will put pressure on the Legault government. The MP refrained from commenting on the remarks of her colleague Bouazzi when they were repeated to her by a journalist. “We haven’t seen it, you inform us of that,” she replied. Then, you know, it's an extremely emotional subject, extremely emotional. »
The solidarity representative recalled that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) suspected Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians. “That means, to all the states that do business with Israel, it’s a message for them, saying to them: “Be careful not to be complicit.” We don't know yet if there is one, but there will be an investigation. »