UK, France, Canada Threaten Sanctions on Israel Over Gaza

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada issued a joint statement Monday condemning Israel’s handling of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and calling on the Jewish state to immediately halt military action in the enclave and allow in more aid, threatening “further concrete actions in response” if Jerusalem refuses.

The three leaders — Britain’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Mark Carney — called Israel’s announcement Sunday to allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza “wholly inadequate” and said the country’s failure to assist the Gazan civilian population “is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law.”

Netanyahu hit back in a statement, saying London, Paris and Ottawa were “offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities.”

The earlier statement from the three Western countries called on Israel to engage with the United Nations “to ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles.”

Five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday for the first time since March 1, when Israel halted the assistance to pressure the terror group to release dozens of hostages it is holding. Israel argued that a sufficient amount of goods entered the Strip during a six-week ceasefire and that Hamas has been stealing much of that aid. In recent weeks, though, some officials in the IDF have begun warning the political leadership that the enclave was on the brink of starvation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the immediate resumption of “basic” humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening, making a highly unpopular decision among his right-wing circles in light of mounting pressure from Washington to end the blockade.

The aid began entering the Strip as the military pushed ahead with a fresh operation in Gaza, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” which, according to Israeli officials, would see the IDF “conquer” Gaza, raze the vast majority of buildings and retain the territory for the foreseeable future; attack Hamas and prevent it from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies; and move Palestinians from Gaza’s north to its south.

The UK, France and Canada on Monday rejected the prospect of “permanent forced displacement” of Gazan civilians, and rebuked members of the Israeli government for using “abhorrent language… threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate.”

“We call on Hamas to release immediately the remaining hostages they have so cruelly held since 7 October 2023,” the statement added.

“Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate,” the statement said.

The massacre that sparked the war saw thousands of Hamas-led terrorists rampage through southern communities, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages to Gaza. Terrorists are still holding 58 hostages, of whom 35 have been confirmed dead by Israel.

The nations on Monday also expressed opposition to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which would “undermine the viability of a Palestinian state,” and said they “will not hesitate to take further action, including targeted sanctions,” if the settlements are not halted.

The three countries praised the efforts of the United States, Qatar and Egypt to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, saying a ceasefire and hostage release deal, together with “a long-term political solution” offer the best solution for resolving the conflict, as well as “ending Hamas’s control of Gaza and achieving a pathway to a two-state solution, consistent with the goals of the June 18 conference in New York co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.”

“We will continue to work with the Palestinian Authority, regional partners, Israel, and the United States to finalize consensus on arrangements for Gaza’s future, building on the Arab plan,” continued the statement, saying the upcoming June conference will aim to build international cooperation on this matter.

The Arab plan envisions an independent committee of technocrats running Gaza for six months before handing off control of the Strip to the Palestinian Authority — an outcome ruled out by Israel’s government. It provides for Palestinians to remain in the Strip while it is being rebuilt, as opposed to a proposal by US President Donald Trump that the entire population be relocated.

It offers international peacekeeping troops to be dispatched to Gaza through a UN Security Council resolution. In the meantime, Egypt and Jordan will train Palestinian Authority police officers so that they can then be dispatched to Gaza to uphold law and order, the plan says.

However, the Arab proposal does not significantly address Hamas, instead maintaining that armed groups in Gaza can only be fully addressed through a political process that establishes a Palestinian state — an outcome opposed by Netanyahu’s government.

Responding to the joint statement, a statement from Netanyahu’s office asserted, “The war can end tomorrow if the remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled and Gaza is demilitarized.

“No nation can be expected to accept anything less and Israel certainly won’t.”

“Israel accepts [US] President [Donald] Trump’s vision and urges all European leaders to do the same,” said the PMO, apparently offering support for the American president’s plan to take over Gaza and clear it of its Palestinians, as opposed to the two-state solution path that the three leaders argued is the best way to end the conflict.

“This is a war of civilization over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved,” Netanyahu concluded.

An additional joint statement signed by twenty-two donor countries on Monday also urged Israel to “allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately,” after the partial lifting of its blockade on the territory.

The foreign ministers of the countries, including France and Germany, said that “while we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid,” the population of the war-ravaged territory “faces starvation” and “must receive the aid they desperately need.”

The statement was also signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.