Montreal city council on Monday approved an amended motion addressing the conflict in the Middle East, with the final version passing by a vote of 54-6.
The measure underwent substantial changes from the original proposal submitted by Projet Montréal. That version called for the city to sever its institutional ties with Israel and accused the country of operating an “apartheid" regime and committing “genocide."
Those provisions were removed from the final motion. The adopted text does not specifically target Israel, call for an end to Montreal's ties with the country, or accuse Israel of “genocide" or “apartheid."
Before the vote, Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada argued that municipal officials should concentrate on issues within their jurisdiction. She said that "municipal governments are elected to run the city, keep residents safe, deliver services and bring people together, not to inflame tensions by taking a controversial position on a distant geopolitical conflict."
Official Opposition Leader Ericka Alneus criticized the changes, saying, "I will not hide my disappointment at the major modifications imposed by the administration, which significantly diluted our intention."
The revised motion expresses "solidarity with the Palestinian people as well as all civilian victims of hostilities" in the Middle East. It also calls for adherence to international law and international humanitarian law and supports judicial proceedings examining possible violations in Gaza.
B'nai Brith Canada welcomed the outcome. Paola Samuel, the organization's Regional Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, said, “We are pleased that the City Council did not adopt the deceitful and distorted language contained in the original motion. We applaud Mayor Soraya Martinez and her governing Ensemble Montreal party for standing up for the citizens of Montreal, including the Jewish community."
“During a press conference at City Hall Monday afternoon, Mayor Martinez correctly pointed out that the role of city council is not to dictate foreign policy. Divisions concerning the conflict in the Middle East, as evidenced in B’nai Brith Canada’s Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, are contributing to a significant increase in hostility and violence targeting the Jewish community," added Samuel.
“This manifested itself at City Hall last night, where an angry mob of extremists accosted people leaving the building, shouting hateful invectives."
“As B’nai Brith warned during the weeks leading to this vote, Projet Montreal was wrong to bring this deceitful motion to City Hall. Tensions have already been building in the city for more than two years, and this motion only served to inflame them and contribute to hate, disharmony, and chaos."
“We urge Montreal’s city council to continue to focus its attention on what matters most to its constituents - housing, crime and affordability - rather than inserting itself into complex geo-political issues that foster division and contribute to the normalization of hate on our streets."
“If the City of Montreal had weighed into this conflict, it would have only served to exacerbate tensions between communities. It is clearly not in the city's purview to dictate foreign policy for its residents."
“We applaud our Montreal Jewish community for coming out, in force, to oppose the distorted and inflammatory original text. We are resilient and strong and will remain united as we stand up against those that try to target or threaten our community," concluded Samuel.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also responded to the vote, recognizing the removal of the most controversial elements while criticizing the decision to debate the conflict at the municipal level.
"CIJA acknowledges the adoption of a modified motion by the Montreal City Council, following the efforts of Mayor Martinez Ferrada."
The organization added that "We nevertheless continue to firmly oppose the very principle of importing international conflicts through such motions - a principle, moreover, rightly reaffirmed this morning by the Mayor herself during a press conference."
CIJA said that "We note that elected officials have come to their senses by removing many of the most incendiary and unacceptable aspects of Projet Montréal's initial proposal," while cautioning that "However, CIJA will remain extremely vigilant against any possible attempt that could once again weaken Montreal's social fabric."
The organization further stated that "The changes made ensure that the radicals have not achieved their goal of imposing their extremist agenda on our elected officials," and highlighted "the many community and political leaders who said no to severing ties between our city of Montreal and Israel, as well as the more than 6,200 Montrealers of all backgrounds who wrote to their elected officials via our platform to express that they are tired of seeing the city council fail to focus on municipal issues."
CIJA also criticized the conduct of some opposition officials during the debate, stating, "The importation of this conflict by Projet Montréal is all the more irresponsible given that some of its own elected officials do not even grasp the most tragic and basic facts."
The group added, "Hearing an official opposition councilor refuse to designate Hamas as a terrorist group and speak of an 'October 7, 2023, attack against Palestinian civilians' - when the entire world knows it was a barbaric assault that killed more than 1,200 people, including Montrealer Alex Look - amounts to indecent revisionism that disgraces the city council."
CIJA concluded, "In light of such an egregious lapse, we invite all elected officials to finally return to reality, to focus on the true priorities of Montrealers, and to permanently leave these divisive tactics behind," and stressed that "It is imperative that our representatives stop yielding to radical groups that weaponize our democratic institutions to destroy the peaceful coexistence between our communities."
The council vote comes as Montreal and other parts of Canada have experienced an increase in antisemitic incidents.
Earlier this month, a suspected overnight arson attack caused extensive damage to Nöam, a kosher restaurant in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.
In July, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) hate crimes unit opened an investigation into a series of targeted incidents involving Hasidic Jewish residents in Outremont and Mile-End. The Council of Hasidic Jews of Quebec said several worshippers returning from Shabbat services were aggressively harassed by people in a vehicle driving through the area.
Montreal has also seen two firebomb attacks against Congregation Beth Tikvah within a year. In November 2024, a man described as Arab entered a Jewish-owned business and threatened its owners while directing profanities at Jews and Israel.
In July 2024, a Jewish cemetery in Montreal was vandalized, with stones arranged over graves in the shape of a swastika.