OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that the treatment of activists detained by Israel had been “appalling” and described the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic,” Carney’s office said in a statement.
“The Prime Minister reiterated that the appalling treatment of civilians, including Canadian citizens, aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla was unacceptable, and he called for an independent investigation,” the statement said.
Carney, it said, also reaffirmed Canada’s opposition to illegal Israeli settlement expansion, settler violence in the West Bank, and violence against Palestinian civilians.
Although Carney last week denounced Israel’s handling of the flotilla members, the broad scope of his condemnation on Monday underlines how strained ties have become between Israel and some of its closest allies.
The Israeli embassy in Ottawa was not immediately available for comment. Activists released after being detained on a flotilla trying to bring aid to Gaza were subjected to abuse, organizers said, with several hospitalized with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape. Israel’s prison service denied the allegations.
