Canada has refused to comment on a planned United States sale of Canadian-made weapons to Israel, after news of the deal drew rebuke from rights advocates who argue the arms will help fuel Israeli human rights abuses against Palestinians.
In a brief statement to newsmen on Tuesday, a spokesman for Canada’s foreign affairs department, Global Affairs Canada, said it “will not speculate on a possible Foreign Military Sale by the United States”.
“Since January 8th, the Government of Canada has not approved new arms export permits to Israel, and this remains the federal government’s approach,” it said.
Canada announced earlier this year that it would not authorise new export permits for weapons to Israel amid mass protests over the country’s war in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians over nearly 11 months.
But rights advocates quickly noted that Canada has not revoked existing arms export permits, nor would the prohibition affect Canadian weapons and components that first go to the US before they are shipped to Israel.
Those transfers to the US are difficult to track because of a decades-old preferential trade relationship that allows the North American neighbours to more easily exchange military weapons and related components.
