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SvennoJ on 03 December 2024
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Jewish-Canadian activists occupy parliament building over Gaza war

The activists are calling on Canada to stop sending weapons to Israel as it continues to bomb the Palestinian enclave.

Videos shared on social media showed dozens of people sitting at the entrance of a parliament building in Ottawa, singing songs and chanting, “Arms embargo now!”

“Every bomb Israel drops on Gaza and every missile they fire into Lebanon carries a grim truth: the warplanes and attack helicopters raining destruction on civilians could not fly without hundreds of Canadian-made components,” Niall Ricardo of Independent Jewish Voices Canada, one of the organisers of the protest, said in a statement.

“Canada’s ongoing arms exports and diplomatic support make it complicit in these atrocities.”


Macron, MBS call for a ‘ceasefire without further delay’ in Gaza

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and France’s President Emmanuel Macron met in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and agreed to “make every effort to contribute to de-escalation” in the Middle East, according to a statement from the French presidency.

The leaders said their “priority… is to establish a ceasefire without further delay in Gaza” in order to free all the captives held by Hamas and protect Palestinian civilians through the delivery of humanitarian aid, the statement said.

They also pledged to “continue diplomatic efforts to consolidate the ceasefire” between Israel and Hezbollah and called for the holding of a presidential election in Lebanon to ensure stability in the country.

Macron visit to Saudi Arabia is the first state visit by a French president to the country since 2006.


Momentum in Hamas-Fatah talks ‘offers a hint of hope'

The talks taking place between Hamas and Fatah in Cairo are significant. They offer a hint of hope of movement and a breakthrough in the absence of such movement for many months.

Egypt has been a prominent player in inter-Palestinian dialogue, and what Cairo has recently done is to tie these talks to forming some sort of an administrative body. This body would be loosely connected to the Palestinian Authority and administer day-to-day life in Gaza.

These efforts are also tied to the efforts of the mediators – Egypt, Qatar and others – towards a Gaza ceasefire. And suddenly we see momentum: Hamas is being flexible, according to reports, and Fatah is offering to cooperate.


‘Ball is in Israel’s court'

The talks between Hamas and Fatah are over for now, and the Fatah delegation has gone back to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his final authorisation.

So, not everything seems to have been agreed on, but basically, the ball is in Israel’s court. If Israel allows and facilitates this inter-Palestinian agreement and considers enough to move forward on reaching a ceasefire, then we have a different momentum.

If Israel vetoes or torpedoes these talks, then they are almost inconsequential as Israel occupies the Gaza Strip and has total control over it. Without some sort of movement in the inter-Palestinian track, it is difficult for the mediators to see any way of moving forward in talking ceasefire.