The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, and with the Palestinian Authority Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riad Malki, while visiting the West Bank.
During the two meetings, Minister Joly raised the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including the protection of civilians and the growing threat of hunger and disease for displaced Palestinians. The Minister emphasized that a humanitarian ceasefire is urgently needed to stop the violence, bring hostages home and ensure that civilians in Gaza can access humanitarian relief.
Minister Joly and her counterpart agreed on the urgent need to increase and deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. Minister Joly underscored Canada's continued efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, including by pushing for increased delivery of aid by all means possible, including through existing land entry points and by sea.
During the meetings, Minister Joly also discussed the unacceptable sharp increase in extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Minister Joly reaffirmed Canada's position that the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank endangers the prospects for a two-state solution and highlighted Canada's continued calls for perpetrators of extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank to be held accountable.
Minister Joly, President Abbas, and Minister Malki also discussed the pathway to a sustainable peace through the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel.
