‘The Lebanese people did not ask for this war. It must stop,’ wrote Edmonton Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif on social media
Fayçal El-Khoury, a Liberal MP from Quebec who holds dual Canadian-Lebanese citizenship, said the casualty count this week from attacks in Lebanon was catastrophic and said that not just a ceasefire but a lasting peace was necessary.
“The first day, more than 500 to 600 people lost their lives, among them were 62 children, 86 women, destruction of residences, hitting the infrastructure, and as you know, more than 2,500 badly wounded,” he said Wednesday, referring to Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets.
The Liberal also lamented the injuries from an attack that targeted Hezbollah pagers, causing them to explode and kill or injure their owners, which is being attributed to Israel, although Israel has not taken credit for it.
“The Lebanese people did not ask for this war. It must stop,” he wrote Wednesday. “I call on the government and the international community to step up and put an end to this unnecessary pain.”
He added that he also regretted that tens of thousands of Israelis have been under attack by Hezbollah for nearly a year. “Hezbollah should stop this war, end their attacks and stop using innocent people in Lebanon to shield themselves.”
El-Khoury said Canada needs to use all its diplomatic tools to bring an end to the conflict before it escalates.
“I appeal on our government to stand for Canadian values, for human rights, to do everything that’s possible, within the family of the United Nations, particularly the G7 countries, to stop the war,” he said. “If the war continues and it doesn’t stop, it might lead to a regional war, and perhaps to an international war, and everyone will pay then.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said she has met with other G7 foreign ministers, diplomats from across the middle east and will meet with the Prime Minister of Lebanon later this week.
She said Canada is pushing for both Israel and Hezbollah to deescalate the conflict.
“I share the concerns of many Canadians regarding what’s going on in Lebanon and in the Middle East, this conflict must stop,” she said. “We urge parties, Hezbollah and Israel, to find the solution, to deescalate, and we need to make sure that we protect civilians at all times.”
Joly confirmed two Canadians in Lebanon have been killed and three others have been injured. She continued to urge any Canadians still in Lebanon to leave immediately on commercial flights.
“Commercial flights are still available, and it is at the end of the day the most safe and the simplest way to come back home,” she said.
Joly said Canada has a plan in place for a mass evacuation if needed, but she urged Canadians not to rely on it. In 2006, the then government used ships to bring thousands of Canadians out of Lebanon after a simliar conflict closed the country’s airports. Joly said a new evacuation would be even more difficult and nothing is guaranteed.
“The difference between 2006 and now is that the port of Beirut exploded a couple of years ago, and that also complicates the way an evacuation could happen in Lebanon.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed Joly’s statements and said he has spoke with both diplomats, world leaders and Lebanese Canadians about the situation.
“We need to see both Israel and Hezbollah de escalate. We need to see an end to violence. We need to see civilians protected.”
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.