Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized Israel over last week’s interception of an anti-Israel Gaza flotilla during a telephone conversation on Monday with President Isaac Herzog, AFP reported.
According to an official government statement detailing the call, the Canadian leader denounced what he described as the "appalling treatment" of activists aboard the vessel, branding the actions of Israeli security forces as "unacceptable."
The conversation also followed the international uproar last week over National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s video of his encounter with participants in the pro-Hamas flotilla to Gaza, including 12 Canadians.
During his exchange with Herzog, Carney called for an independent investigation into the interception and "strongly condemned" remarks by Ben Gvir, the statement noted.
The phone call marks the latest escalation in Ottawa's response to the naval incident. Last week, Canada announced it was summoning the Israeli ambassador to formally demand explanations regarding the treatment of its citizens.
The fallout has also triggered ramifications for Ben Gvir on the European continent. France has officially banned Ben Gvir from entry to its territory, while Paris is concurrently aligning with Italy and Spain to pressure the European Union into leveling formal sanctions against the minister.
Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau as Liberal Party leader and as Prime Minister, has been criticized for previous anti-Israel comments he had made.
During an election campaign in Calgary last year, Carney was documented responding to a protester in the crowd who yelled, “Mr. Carney, there is a genocide happening in Palestine," by pausing and saying, “Thank you…I’m aware. Which is why we have an arms embargo."
Carney was later asked by reporters about the remark and walked it back, claiming that he had not heard the specific term “genocide" and was simply referencing existing arms restrictions imposed by the Canadian government.
“I didn’t hear that word," Carney said. “It’s noisy. If you’re up there you hear snippets of what people say and I heard Gaza, and my point was I’m aware of the situation in Gaza."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired back at Carney, saying, “Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney. But instead of supporting Israel, a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the one and only Jewish state. Mr. Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement!"
Last summer, Carney announced that his government intends to recognize the “State of Palestine".
B'nai Brith Canada and a coalition of multicultural leaders later wrote a letter to Carney sounding the alarm over the move. The letter warned that such a move “could embarrass Canada, compound the crisis in the Middle East, and further push Israelis and Palestinians away from establishing a two-state solution."