This week was a paradigm shift for many Canadians. Israeli forces opened fire on a convoy of foreign diplomats in the West Bank. These were not armed militants. These were not Hamas fighters. These were unarmed international officials, including Canadians, trying to carry out diplomatic work amidst one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises in our lifetime.
Miraculously, no one was killed. But what if they had been?
What if a Canadian diplomat had died at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces?
Would the Canadian government have finally issued more than carefully worded statements of “concern”? Would we have seen sanctions or the end of arms exports to a military force that continues to act with impunity?
The truth is, the shooting was not an anomaly: it was a pattern laid bare. It dates long before October 7th and it has history in the West Bank – not just in Gaza. For years, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been the victims of indiscriminate Israeli attacks that make no distinction between children, aid workers, journalists, or even foreign officials. The world witnessed the IDF bomb a convoy from World Central Kitchen, killing seven international aid workers, including a Canadian. And now, it nearly happened again.
If this were any other conflict, if this were any other country, we would not be debating whether to hold them accountable. But because it is Israel, and because the victims are Palestinian or those who dare to help them, our government hesitates.
Let us be clear: this is not just a “war”. It is a genocide in plain sight.
For over 19 months, Palestinians in Gaza have endured a brutal siege, deliberate starvation, and unrelenting airstrikes. Hospitals have been bombed. Entire families wiped out. Over 62,000 people have been killed with the majority of them women and children.
And yet, despite Canada’s continued hesitation, a shift is underway across the globe, particularly in Europe.
Countries like Spain, Ireland, and Norway have begun leading the charge, openly calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state and demanding accountability for Israeli war crimes. France has broken its silence, condemning the scale of destruction and blocking weapon sales to Israel. Even the United Kingdom, long reluctant to criticize Israel, is now raising alarm over the continued war crimes.
These are not fringe voices. They are key allies and international actors who understand that silence in the face of atrocity is complicity. Canada, meanwhile, continues to lag behind, clinging to “balanced” language in the face of overwhelming imbalance on the ground.
This latest attack must serve as a wake-up call, not just because Canadian lives were endangered, but because we can no longer pretend that Israel’s actions are consistent with international law, or basic humanity.
Canada cannot continue to straddle the fence while civilians are being buried under rubble, while food is weaponized, while aid convoys are targeted, and while foreign diplomats are being shot at. Our moral compass, if it is to mean anything, must guide us toward action, not ambiguity.
That means Canada needs more than statements of concern – it needs concrete, enforceable measures. And although the Israeli ambassador has been summoned, Canadians are still waiting for real action.
We must ensure the immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, not in theory, but in practice. We must impose targeted sanctions on Israeli officials complicit in war crimes. We must end all arms transfers to a military force that has repeatedly shown disregard for civilian life, including the lives of our own citizens.
And we must finally have the courage to recognize the State of Palestine.
To do anything less is to signal that Palestinian lives, and even Canadian lives endangered in the process of defending them, are disposable. Canada must choose a side: not in a conflict, but in a moral reckoning. The world is watching. So are the victims.
