OTTAWA – Scores of former senior Canadian diplomats are calling for Prime Minister Mark Carney to issue “robust” sanctions on Israel over deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.
In a letter sent to media outlets, the former diplomats also call on the federal government to review Canada’s trade agreement with Israel and issue a notice that a strategic partnership agreement will be suspended if conditions don’t improve.
The letter cites Israel’s restrictions on aid reaching Gaza, and increasing violence by settlers in the West Bank where Israeli officials say they want to make a Palestinian state impossible.
It also says a high civilian death toll in Lebanon suggests Israel is violating international law in a campaign it says is targeting Hezbollah.
The letter is signed by 190 former diplomats who held high-ranking positions, and it builds on a similar letter last July that demanded Canada halt all arms trade with Israel.
It comes as Sen. Yuen Pau Woo asks the government to follow through on a statement it issued a year ago with France and the U.K., which threatened “concrete actions” if restrictions remained on humanitarian aid reaching Gaza.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.
