Israel's envoy to Canada says dialogue between his government and Ottawa has "deteriorated" since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office — and suggests his "hard line" on Gaza explains why Carney still hasn't spoken by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Since the government of Carney came into place, the level of dialogue between the two countries slowly but surely deteriorated," Israel Ambassador Iddo Moed told The Canadian Press on Monday.
Carney's office referred questions about Moed's comments to the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, which declined to provide a response.
Ottawa co-signed a statement with the United Kingdom and France in May demanding that Israel end its war in Gaza, which Moed said amounted to a "very hard line towards Israel."
The joint statement promised "concrete actions ... including targeted sanctions" if Israel did not end its military campaign and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the enclave.
The ambassador said his office has attempted more than once to engage directly in "consultations" with the Carney government on Gaza and Palestinian statehood, to no avail.
Carney said in July his government would formally recognize a State of Palestine. Moed said his embassy "tried to reach out to the government and convey our position on recognition," before that but the outreach was unsuccessful.
Moed said the problem persisted since the announcement in July, and even after the declaration was officially made in September.
"My impression is that once the decision was made, there was no room for any further dialogue," he said. "We did try, however. We did propose to have a conversation about this, and I was disappointed to learn that that did not materialize."
Moed said he didn't want to attribute the lack of communication to either Global Affairs Canada or cabinet.
He did say Israel has reached out to Carney's government through normal channels, and has not escalated the issue to a formal démarche or a diplomatic note.
"At this point in time, there is less appetite for dialogue with Israel," he said.
Moed said Carney's decision to sign the joint letter in May "probably" explains why Netanyahu has never spoken by phone with the prime minister since he took office in March.
"Since Carney came in very quickly with a response — with the threats to Israel, very quickly after he was elected — I don't think there was much appetite from Israel to reach out to somebody who has not even, at the very minimum, tried to say we seek each other's friendship because both of us believe in the same values, and so on," he said.
Moed's comments come just days after former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert blasted Netanyahu for his criticism of Carney, which has included accusations that he is "emboldening Hamas" through his comments about Israel.
"I would advise him not to declare (that) Canada is an enemy of Israel," Olmert said of Netanyahu in a Sept. 25 interview with The Canadian Press.
Olmert, a fierce critic of Netanyahu, also said Carney is right to pursue a two-state solution, despite Netanyahu's wholesale rejection of the concept.
"Canada is a friend of Israel and the prime minister of Canada is a friend of Israel," Olmert said.
The Canadian Press has asked Netanyahu's office why he hasn't spoken to Carney and why he did not congratulate the prime minister on his April election win. There has been no response.
Senior Canadian officials — who were authorized to brief media about Palestine statehood on the condition they not be named — said on Sept. 19 there have been multiple attempts to schedule a call between Netanyahu and Carney, but none have happened to date.
Carney did speak briefly with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the papal inauguration in May at Vatican City, they noted.
Netanyahu publicly criticized Carney during the election campaign in April, calling on him to retract a statement he made during a rally after a protester shouted that Israel was perpetrating a "genocide."
Carney said in reply that he was "aware, which is why we have an arms embargo.” The prime minister said the next day he hadn't heard clearly what the protester said.
Carleton University political scientist Jonathan Malloy said Canadian politicians have little to gain by talking about the Middle East at length. He said people's views on the conflict have polarized and are not shifting.
"Domestic considerations drive so much of foreign policy in this country, and I think that the parties probably feel that they have a lot more to lose than gain (by) speaking out much on Israel-Palestine issue," he said.
"More and more, I think you're seeing Canadian parties almost try to avoid the issue more than anything."
He noted the NDP has been outspoken on Palestinian rights, while the Conservatives have generally supported Israel but raise the issue less often.
Malloy said the Liberal party has been "torn apart" by tensions between its Jewish and Arab constituencies, putting the caucus "under tremendous strain, and it can only get worse for the party."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
