Canadian pro-Israel organizations and advocacy groups condemned the federal government’s decision to ban the importation of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The policy shift followed a joint statement issued on Tuesday by Prime Minister Mark Carney alongside international leaders confirming plans to introduce restrictions on trade with settlements. Joined by the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, the prime minister, in a joint statement, said that “A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is critical for peace, stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.”
Following the announcement, HonestReporting Canada issued a statement on social media criticizing the government and calling on media outlets to scrutinize the rationale behind the measures. In a public statement released on Tuesday, the organization said, “HonestReporting Canada calls on the media to demand clarification from the Carney government on how its aggressively anti-Israel policies benefit Canadians.”
The statement further criticized the unilateral focus on Israel and said, “And now, rather than demanding concrete concessions from the Palestinian side, the Carney government is continuing down a reckless path of imposing punitive measures on Israel. This approach rewards Palestinian rejectionism, undermines the prospect of direct negotiations, and sends a troubling message that pressure will be directed at Israel regardless of Palestinian conduct.”
'We strongly condemn the Government of Canada's announcement'
The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also issued a strong condemnation on Tuesday of the federal government’s announcement. Noah Shack, CEO of CIJA, said, “We strongly condemn the Government of Canada’s announcement of new sanctions on Israel.”
Shack further said, “Rather than pursue an independent foreign policy grounded in Canada’s strategic interests and its stated approach of not ‘lecturing countries from afar,’ the government has chosen to follow the United Kingdom’s lead, in a move reportedly driven by domestic political considerations to appease the most extreme elements of society.”
The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also issued a strong condemnation on Tuesday of the federal government's announcement. Noah Shack, CEO of CIJA, stated, "We strongly condemn the Government of Canada's announcement of new sanctions on Israel."
Shack further criticized the administration's motivations, stating, "Rather than pursue an independent foreign policy grounded in Canada's strategic interests and its stated approach of not 'lecturing countries from afar,' the government has chosen to follow the United Kingdom's lead, in a move reportedly driven by domestic political considerations to appease the most extreme elements of society."
Shack added that “These sanctions fail to advance peace or security for Israelis and Palestinians. They interfere in Israel’s democratic election just weeks before Israelis vote, a warning voiced by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. They make diplomacy harder and do nothing to press the Palestinian Authority to fulfill the commitments it made to Prime Minister Carney, including to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”
The Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI) added its voice to the condemnation in an open letter addressed to Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand on Tuesday. Signed by Founder, Chairman and CEO Avi Abraham Benlolo, the letter criticized the move by stating, “This action closely mirrors the tactics and objectives of the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement by singling out the Jewish state for economic punishment and legitimizing campaigns intended to isolate the only Jewish state, not dissimilar to measures undertaken throughout history against the Jewish people.”
AGPI further stated that Canada formally adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism in 2019, noting that “IHRA identifies applying double standards to Israel, including requiring conduct not expected of any other democratic nation, as a contemporary manifestation of antisemitism,” and that the new trade measure is difficult to reconcile with that commitment.
The organization additionally emphasized that the timing requires restraint while Israel is in the midst of a democratic election campaign, warning that announcing restrictions now risks exerting external pressure and prejudging a government not yet formed, and concluding that “Trade restrictions will not advance peace. Punishing Israel while imposing no comparable consequences upon those who reject peace, glorify terrorism, or threaten Israel’s security rewards intransigence rather than dialogue.