A Liberal member of Parliament has offered some harsh criticism of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government response to the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Rob Oliphant, parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, made the remarks to a constituent in a phone call, which was recorded by the constitutent and shared with CBC News.
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In the conversation, which was recorded on Feb. 1 without the MP’s knowledge, Oliphant said the Trudeau government’s decision to withdraw funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was a politically-motivated mistake.
“It has to do with our allies,” the Liberal MP told the constituent, referring to the United States. “I thought it was the wrong decision.”
Following the Americans’ lead, Canada also suspended funding to UNRWA after an Israeli report linked 12 or 13 UNRWA employees to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led terror attack.
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“You don’t stop aid to Gaza because of 12 or 13 employees out of 13,000. It drives me crazy,” Oliphant stated. “It is opportunistic, it is unfair, and it is maligning the operation of a UN organization that is doing, not perfect work — there’s no organization that’s made of human beings that’s perfect, UNRWA has its faults. But it is the best we have for education, for medical care, for food, all of those things.”
Israeli officials, meanwhile, suspect the number of UNRWA workers connected to the terror group is far higher. In January, the New York Post reported how an Israeli dossier estimated about 1,200 people, or 10% of the agency’s staff, have links to Hamas.
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Furthermore, reports the Post, “Among all of the agency’s workers, nearly half — or around 6,000 — have close kin in the militant organizations, which have ruled Gaza since 2007, according to the intelligence, which was given to the US.”
The UN organization’s work in the area was vital, Oliphant said, noting he would “defend UNRWA forever.” Allegations Palestinian youth are indoctrinated by UNRWA workers to hate Jews were false, Oliphant also added.
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The Liberal MP also accused the Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, telling the constituent “Do I believe there’s genocidal activity on the part of Israel? Probably yes, from what I’ve seen.”
Upon the war’s conclusion, Oliphant said that Israel should foot the majority of the bill for rebuilding Gaza.
“Israel needs to pay for rebuilding the country it destroyed. I don’t want to pay for that,” Oliphant said, while recognizing that Canada will likely be called on for assistance.
