Canada expects 'everyone' to abide by ICJ's latest Israel ruling, Trudeau says
The International Court of Justice's latest ruling is in line with Canada's position on Israel's military operations in Rafah, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.
"Canada's position has been clear for many, many weeks now. We need an immediate ceasefire. Hamas needs to lay down its arms, release all hostages, but there also must be no more military operations in Rafah by Israel," Trudeau said during a news conference in Truro, N.S.
"The ICJ's proposals are binding, and we expect everyone to follow them as a matter of international law."
His comments come after the United Nations' top court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza Strip city, but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire for the enclave.
The sharply focused decision sent a three-pronged message to Israel, ordering the country to halt the Rafah offensive, allow war crimes investigators access to Gaza and immediately increase humanitarian aid into the region.
The ruling is a blow to Israel's international standing, but the court doesn't have a police force to enforce its orders.
Benny Gantz, one of three members of Israel's war cabinet, indicated his country's military won't change its course in Rafah despite the recent order.
"The State of Israel is committed to continue fighting to return its hostages and promise the security of its citizens — wherever and whenever necessary — including in Rafah," Gantz said.
Gantz's comments Friday were Israel's most senior reaction to the ICJ's ruling, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not make an immediate public response.
Criticism of Israel's military operations in Gaza has been growing, particularly since it turned its focus to Rafah.
This week, three European countries announced they would recognize a Palestinian state, and the chief prosecutor for another international court requested arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, along with Hamas officials.
Earlier this month, Canada abstained from a UN vote aimed at formally recognizing Palestine, but opened the door to supporting statehood before the end of the current conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also under pressure at home to end the war, which was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages.
Thousands of Israelis have joined weekly demonstrations calling on the government to reach a deal to bring the hostages home, fearing time is running out.
Israel's offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the territory's health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The operation has obliterated entire neighbourhoods, sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from their homes and pushed parts of the territory into famine.
On Friday, Trudeau reiterated Canada's support for a two-state solution and called out the Israeli government for standing in the way of that aspiration.
"Unfortunately, the Netanyahu government is creating barriers and blockages to ever being able to create or even imagine that two-state solution. That is where we fundamentally disagree with the Netanyahu government," Trudeau said.
NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson said Friday that the Canadian government should put pressure on Israel into to abide by the ICJ order.
She called for sanctions against the Israeli war cabinet as well as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Yoel Smotrich.
"Canada must support this decision by increasing pressure on Israel now," McPherson said on X.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2024.
— With files from The Associated Press.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel warns civilians to evacuate as it strikes wide swaths of southern Lebanon
Israel on Monday urged residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate from homes and other buildings where it claimed Hezbollah has stored weapons, saying the military would conduct “extensive strikes†against the militant group.
opinion How to create a budget that works for you
Are you struggling to create a budget that fits your life and schedule? Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew shares some simple budgeting methods and offer some tips to help you create, and follow, a budget plan.
Air Canada union head says she'll resign if pilots reject deal
The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
Boy abducted from California in 1951 at age 6 found alive on East Coast more than 70 years later
Luis Armando Albino was six years old in 1951 when he was abducted while playing at an Oakland, Calif., park. Now, more than seven decades later, Albino has been found thanks to help from an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.
The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.
Trudeau tells world leaders they 'have a responsibility' at UN Summit of the Future
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told delegates at the United Nations the world is at a global inflection point, having a choice between walking away from multilateralism or setting differences aside to confront serious global challenges.
John Mulaney and Olivia Munn have second child, a daughter named Mei
Comedian John Mulaney and actor Olivia Munn now have a second child, a daughter named Mei June Mulaney.
The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.