Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sharply criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after Carney appeared to endorse claims of “genocide” in Gaza during a public gathering this week. Netanyahu’s condemnation followed Carney’s controversial statement in response to an interruption by a Palestine supporter, which saw Carney comment on an alleged “genocide happening in Gaza”.
During the event, when a Palestine supporter shouted about genocide in Gaza, Carney responded by saying, “I’m aware, that’s why we have an arms embargo”. Netanyahu quickly took to his official X (formerly Twitter) profile to denounce the statement. “Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney”, Netanyahu said, accusing the Canadian leader of undermining Israel’s defense efforts and supporting Hamas over the Jewish state.
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… https://t.co/27ZcXjew85
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 10, 2025
Netanyahu further accused Carney of turning against Israel, calling it “a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas”, and demanded that Carney retract his statement, calling it “irresponsible”.
Carney Backtracks
The following day, Carney appeared to walk back his earlier comments. During a media briefing on Wednesday, he clarified his remarks, stating, “You were there, I guess — It was noisy, you get… if you’re up there, you hear snippets of what people say”. Carney explained that he had only been acknowledging the situation in Gaza, rather than endorsing claims of genocide, saying, “I heard ‘Gaza’ and that, my point was that I’m aware of the situation in Gaza”.
Israeli Officials Respond
In response to Carney’s remarks, a high-ranking Israeli government official called Carney’s initial statement “unfortunate” and said it contradicted Canada’s official stance on the issue. The official refuted Carney’s claim of an arms embargo, clarifying that there was no such embargo in place, but rather a suspension of a limited number of arms permits. The representative also emphasized that Canada does not recognize genocide in Gaza.
In March 2024, the Canadian government had announced a halt to future weapons exports to Israel, a decision tied to broader calls for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This was followed by a suspension of around 30 ammunition shipment permits in September 2024. However, Canada’s actions remain a subject of ongoing diplomatic discussion.
