Carney pledges $100M in aid for Palestinians at UNGA

Por Jalen Beckford — POLITICOPolitics » POLITICO

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged $100 million in assistance for Palestine on Tuesday, including $80 million in humanitarian aid and $20 million for peace and security efforts while acknowledging the plight also suffered by many Israelis due to Hamas.

“In Gaza, immense human suffering continues,” Carney said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Next door, Israelis continue to live with existential threats — from Hamas, and from Iran and its proxies,” he added, warning that international support for a two-state solution “will mean nothing if these conditions continue.”

Carney made the pledge ahead of a meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss a two-state solution and the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803, the U.S.-backed plan to end the regional conflict.

The announcement came two weeks after Canada, France and Britain joined other countries in saying they would take steps to ban the trade of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The leaders previously cited Israel’s decision to advance a controversial settlement construction project in the E1 area near East Jerusalem and unprecedented levels of settler violence as threats to a future Palestinian state.

Carney reiterated the planned trade restrictions Tuesday, calling them “pragmatic, practical action” to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

In the meeting Tuesday, Burnham urged leaders to match their longstanding support for a two-state solution with action, warning that failing to do so would “further corrode trust in the political, diplomatic and international process.”

“We must prevent the hope of a two-state solution from being snuffed out,” he said.

Canada officially recognized Palestinian statehood last year, moving away from its previous position that recognition should follow a negotiated settlement between Israel and Palestinian leaders. Carney said at the time that settlement expansion and the war in Gaza had “gravely eroded” the prospects for such a deal.

In June, Canada announced a separate $100 million in funding to support organizations delivering international assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, largely for emergency food, medical care and other humanitarian needs. That package also included $13.7 million for peace and stabilization efforts.

Fonte: POLITICOPolitics » POLITICO