Canada defends Israel to UN human rights chief

Canada slams the United Nation’s top human rights official for questioning the legality of Israel’s air strikes in Gaza.

“Canada rejects UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay’s uncalled-for criticism of Israel’s response to rocket attacks from Gaza. Focusing her comments on Israel is neither helpful nor reflective of the reality of this crisis,” Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird says.

“There must be no moral equivalence between Hamas, a listed terrorist organization, and its blatant disregard for human life, and the liberal democratic State of Israel’s duty and obligation to defend its people from cowardly and indiscriminate attacks,” he says.

While Ottawa mourns the “death and suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza,” Hamas and its allies bear all responsibility for the current crisis as they continue to shoot rockets at Israel, Baird says. The Israeli army takes “extraordinary steps to reduce civilian casualties in very difficult and trying conditions” and Israel should be commended for these efforts, “in the face of an enemy clearly determined to put civilians, from both sides, in mortal danger to suit its own purposes.”

Earlier on Saturday, Pillay said “deeply disturbing” reports of civilian casualties in Gaza resulting from IDF bombardments of homes raise “serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”

– Raphael Ahren