“Canada unequivocally condemns Hamas’ barbaric, brutal terror attacks—and reaffirms its full support for Israel’s right to defend itself.”—Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“The hate rallies celebrating the kidnapping and slaughtering of innocent Israeli people by terrorists are reprehensible and disgusting. They have no place in Ontario”—Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
“Glorifying this weekend’s indiscriminate violence, including the kidnapping and murder of women and children, by Hamas against Israeli civilians is deplorable.”—Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto
The last few days have been very hard. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complicated and discussions often require nuance. Saturday’s terrorist attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians, however, does not require nuance to understand. As the leaders of Canada, Ontario, and Toronto have stated, tolerating such crimes is unacceptable and are not justified morally or legally.
War is now underway and will have far-reaching consequences on Israeli and Palestinian civilians. Every effort must be made to minimize civilian casualties. It will be important in our own community to engage in respectful conversation, even when we disagree, and to have concern and compassion for all who are suffering. Please seek support if you are in need and be kind and thoughtful to all who are in distress.
