National

Canada abstains from UN motion calling on Israel to end occupation of Gaza, West Bank

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Sep, 2024 04:07 PM

Canada abstained today from a high-profile United Nations vote demanding that Israel end its "unlawful presence" in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank within a year.

Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, told the assembly the motion was too one-sided to support, though he said Ottawa agrees that Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian territories.

This morning's non-binding vote passed 124-14, and Canada was among 43 abstentions.

The State of Palestine brought the motion to the UN General Assembly, and Israel says the vote amounts to "diplomatic terrorism."

The resolution is based on a July ruling by the International Court of Justice, which condemned Israel’s rule over lands it captured in 1967 by force, saying this violates international laws.

Last December, Canada stopped its decade-long policy of backing Israel in almost any United Nations vote over concerns about the lack of progress toward a humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Mounties in Prince George issue warning over 'hit man' scam

Police in British Columbia are warning the public about what they describe as a "hit man" scam. Prince George RCMP say the fraud scheme involves victims who receive texts or emails with threatening messages saying the sender is being sent to kill them.

Mounties in Prince George issue warning over 'hit man' scam

Rotting food and closed highways a concern as Jasper evacuation nears second week

Parks Canada says it realizes wildfire evacuees from Jasper worry about what rotting food will do to their homes and that others wonder when a critical highway through the national park will reopen, but it says the blaze continues to burn out of control and remains a threat to the town. A statement from the federal agency on Sunday said requests have poured in from people asking for help in retrieving important personal items or to remove food, fridges and freezers.

Rotting food and closed highways a concern as Jasper evacuation nears second week

Slocan region in Interior B.C. evacuated due to multiple wildfires

The mayor of Slocan says the skies were filled with ominous thick smoke while she drove out of her community that's now under an evacuation order as wildfires burn on either side. Jessica Lunn says most of Slocan's approximately 370 residents had already left Sunday morning, as she and her family evacuated and firefighters set up sprinklers to protect structures and prepared to pump water from the nearby lake.

Slocan region in Interior B.C. evacuated due to multiple wildfires

Walmart closes after fire

A Walmart in East Vancouver has been closed after a fire that appears to have been deliberately set Saturday caused millions of dollars of damage. A Facebook post from the store on Grandview Highway says all employees and costumers are safe but calls the incident "shocking, dangerous and shameful."

Walmart closes after fire

B.C. tree fruit grower co-operative shuts down after 88 years, citing low volume

Weather this winter wiped out almost all of B.C.'s peaches, apricots and nectarines for the year and severely damaged cherry orchards. In mid-January, the Interior saw several days of frigid temperatures that killed off active buds in trees that had only just begun to recover from the 2021 heat dome and had gone through a harsh winter in 2022.

B.C. tree fruit grower co-operative shuts down after 88 years, citing low volume

Four people dead after crash involving semi truck and SUV outside Calgary

Four people are dead after a crash involving an SUV and a semi truck hauling a grain trailer at a rural intersection northeast of Calgary. RCMP say they were called about a crash Friday morning at the intersection of highways 9 and 564 in Rocky View County.