Title: Israeli Ambassador Reports Decline in Canada-Israel Relations

OTTAWA — Israel's ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, stated that communication between Israel and the Canadian government has significantly declined since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office. Moed suggested that Carney's firm stance on Gaza is a key reason why he has not yet spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Since the government of Carney came into place, the level of dialogue between the two countries slowly but surely deteriorated," Moed said in an interview. He expressed disappointment over the lack of direct consultations regarding Gaza and Palestinian statehood, noting that his office has made several attempts to engage with the Carney administration without success.

Carney's office directed inquiries about Moed's remarks to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand's office, which did not respond. In May, Canada co-signed a statement with the United Kingdom and France, urging Israel to cease its military actions in Gaza. Moed characterized this joint statement as a "very hard line towards Israel," which included threats of targeted sanctions if Israel did not comply.

In July, Carney announced that his government would formally recognize a State of Palestine. Moed indicated that his embassy had sought to communicate Israel's position on this recognition prior to the announcement, but those efforts were unsuccessful. He noted that the lack of dialogue has persisted since the recognition was declared in September.

"My impression is that once the decision was made, there was no room for any further dialogue," Moed said. He added that Israel has reached out through normal diplomatic channels but has not escalated the situation to a formal diplomatic note.

Moed speculated that Carney's decision to sign the joint letter in May likely explains why Netanyahu has not spoken with him since taking office in March. "Since Carney came in very quickly with a response — with the threats to Israel, very quickly after he was elected — I don’t think there was much appetite from Israel to reach out to somebody who has not even, at the very minimum, tried to say we seek each other’s friendship because both of us believe in the same values," he said.

These comments come shortly after former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert criticized Netanyahu for his remarks about Carney, which included accusations that Carney is "emboldening Hamas" through his statements. Olmert advised Netanyahu against labeling Canada as an enemy of Israel, asserting that Canada remains a friend of Israel.

The Canadian Press has sought clarification from Netanyahu's office regarding the lack of communication with Carney and why he did not congratulate the prime minister on his election victory in April. There has been no response to these inquiries.

Senior Canadian officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that there have been multiple attempts to arrange a call between Netanyahu and Carney, but none have materialized. Carney did have a brief conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the papal inauguration in May.

During the election campaign, Netanyahu publicly criticized Carney, urging him to retract a statement made at a rally where a protester accused Israel of committing genocide. Carney responded that he was aware of the situation, which is why Canada has an arms embargo in place.

Political scientist Jonathan Malloy from Carleton University noted that Canadian politicians are often hesitant to engage deeply with Middle Eastern issues due to polarized public opinion. He stated, "Domestic considerations drive so much of foreign policy in this country, and I think that the parties probably feel that they have a lot more to lose than gain by speaking out much on the Israel-Palestine issue."

Malloy observed that the New Democratic Party (NDP) has been vocal about Palestinian rights, while the Conservative Party generally supports Israel but discusses the issue less frequently. He also mentioned that the Liberal Party is facing internal tensions between its Jewish and Arab constituencies, which could lead to further challenges for the party.