Lawmakers in Canada will vote on Monday on a non-binding proposal supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state, and Israel denounced the proposal that may increase divisions within the ruling Liberal Party.

Jagmeet Singh: Justin Trudeau can take serious steps for peace and justice, but he does not have the courage to do so

Although the government is free to ignore the result of the vote in the House of Commons, the proposal could cause political problems for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The left-wing minority of the New Democrats, which helps Trudeau's Liberals remain in power, submitted this proposal because of its dissatisfaction with what it sees as a failure to take adequate measures to protect the civilian population in Gaza.

“Justin Trudeau can take serious steps for peace and justice, but he does not have the courage to do so,” New Democrats leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement. “That is why we have put forward a motion to force the Liberal government to help end this bloodshed.”

He added that Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in peace.

Canada said last week that it had stopped exporting non-lethal military equipment to Israel as of January due to the rapidly evolving situation on the ground.

Although Trudeau emphasized what he described as Israel's right to defend itself, he strongly criticized the Israeli war on Gaza.

The proposal calls on Canada to “formally recognize the State of Palestine,” a step that no G7 member state has taken, in addition to halting all commercial cooperation with Israel in the fields of technology and military equipment.

The proposal also calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to illegal arms transfers to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and also calls on the Palestinian movement to release Israeli detainees.

There are clear indications of a division within the liberal bloc between supporters and opponents of the government's policy towards the conflict in Gaza.

In a related context, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Prime Minister expressed his concern on Monday about the planned Israeli attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, during a phone call with Israeli Defense Cabinet member Benny Gantz.

(Reuters)