Canada has not approved new arms exports permits to Israel since Jan. 8 and this freeze will continue until Ottawa can ensure the weapons are used properly, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Wednesday.
Export permits that were approved before Jan. 8 remain in effect, she said in an emailed statement.
“The situation on the ground makes it so that we can’t” export any kind of military equipment, the Canadian official told AFP on condition of anonymity. No exports have taken place since January, the government source added.
Israel slammed the decision, with foreign minister Israel Katz saying it “undermines Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas terrorists.” “History will judge Canada’s current action harshly,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
Canada, a key ally of the United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars a year in military aid, had already reduced its weapons shipments to Israel to non-lethal equipment such as radios following the October 7 Hamas attack.
Israel has historically been a top receiver of Canadian arms exports, with CAN$21 million worth of military materiel exported to Israel in 2022, according to Radio Canada, following CAN$26 million in shipments in 2021. That places Israel among the top 10 recipients of Canadian arms exports.
