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FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1976
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV IMMEDIATE 1435
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM IMMEDIATE 0489

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000936 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2016 
TAGS: PREL PTER KPAL KWHG CA XF
SUBJECT: CANADA TO HAMAS:  NO CONTACT, NO AID, NO JOKE 
 
REF: A. (A) OTTAWA 00260 
 
     ¶B. (B) OTTAWA 00686 
 
Classified By: POLMINCOUNS Brian Flora, reasons 1.4 (b) (d) 
 
¶1. (C)  SUMMARY:  On March 29 Canada formally announced a 
policy of no contact and no aid to the newly installed 
Hamas-led Palestinian government.  The decision was described 
by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade 
(DFAIT) Near East Division as being consistent with Canada's 
more robust engagement in the area and its desire to be a 
serious player in the region. Another senior DFAIT official 
suggested that the new government is going out of its way to 
differentiate itself from its Liberal predecessor, but in 
doing so is taking some "brash" decisions, such as the Hamas 
cutoff, that are not coordinated in the building or with 
international partners.  This announcement makes Canada the 
first western nation to clarify and announce a formal "no 
contact, no aid" policy and asserts an unusually high profile 
for a country that often prefers to work behind the scenes. 
It is not yet clear where the new government wants to go in 
its Middle East policy, but it is certainly ripe for 
engagement.  END SUMMARY 
 
----------------------------------------- 
CANADA IS FIRST WESTERN NATION TO CUT AID 
AND STATE NO CONTACT POLICY 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  In an official press release issued on March 29, 
Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay and International 
Cooperation Minister Josee Verner formally rejected providing 
aid to a Hamas-led government whose "stated platform has not 
addressed the concerns raised by Canada and others concerning 
non-violence, the recognition of Israel, and acceptance of 
previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap 
for Peace."  Declaring a "no contact" policy with members of 
the Hamas cabinet, the two ministers announced the suspension 
of assistance to the Palestinian Authority, reminding the 
Hamas government that a commitment "to the principles we and 
the international community have outlined remains an 
essential precondition for Canada to resume any assistance to 
the Palestinian Authority."  Canada's 2005 assistance was 
estimated at $31.9 million (Cdn $36.7 million), including 
$8.3 million (Cdn $9.5 million) in direct technical 
assistance (reftel A).  The government made clear, however, 
that it "will continue to support and respond to the 
humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people."  A same-day 
statement from the Prime Minister's Office outlined Canada's 
staunch support of peace in the Middle East and stated its 
intent to "continue work with Mr. Olmert and President 
Mahmoud Abbas to reach that goal." 
 
¶3.  (C)  Senior Policy Advisor for Israel Carole Piovesan 
characterized Canada's no contact/no aid policy as a "no 
joke" response that aligns GOC policy with Canada's Criminal 
Code, under which Hamas is listed as a terrorist 
organization.  But there may be more to the story.  In a 
briefing on Belarus (septel), Poloff was told by Eastern 
Europe and Balkans Division Director Pierre Guimond (protect) 
that the new government is intent on charting a different 
course from the Liberals and that decisions are being made by 
the PM and FM without consulting the bureaucracy or 
international partners.  He was not grousing, just explaining 
how the government had gotten so far in front of the rest of 
the world on issues like Hamas and the recent condemnation of 
Belarus. 
 
------------------------------ 
Q------------------------------ 
CANADA CHANGES ITS UN VOTES ON 
ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN RESOLUTIONS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (C)  On March 10, Canada switched from a 2005 abstention 
and joined the U.S. in opposing a resolution on the Situation 
of and Assistance to Palestinian Women in the UN Economic and 
Social Council, noting that its language failed to recognize 
the Palestinian Authority's role in circumscribing the rights 
of Palestinian women and unfairly focused the blame on 
Israel.  Since 2004, Canada has changed its vote on no fewer 
than six resolutions related to Israel/Palestine for reasons 
ranging from displeasure with specific language to 
inappropriate use of fora to raise broad global issues to 
lack of objectivity.  According to Piovesan, Canadian 
representatives have played a more active role in text 
negotiations and have coordinated with both Israeli and 
Palestinian delegations on particular issues of concern, 
including a global children's rights agenda.  Last year, 
Canada was, with the U.S., a co-sponsor of Israel's first 
UNGA resolution on World Holocaust Remembrance Day. 
 
OTTAWA 00000936  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
 
¶5.  (C)  COMMENT:  Over the past year, various Canadian 
Islamic and Arab NGOs have accused the previous and current 
governments of a "new" pro-Israel bias based on changes in 
Canada's voting on UN resolutions, a sentiment that will 
undoubtedly grow with the Hamas decision.  Jewish groups 
remain guarded about the implications of Canada's actions. 
The country's Jewish population of approximately 300,000 is 
half the number of its Arab population, estimated at 650,000. 
 For a government that was thought to be domestically 
focused, Harper and MacKay have staked out some very 
assertive positions, of which the Hamas decision was the most 
dramatic.  It is not yet clear what the new government's 
overall position will be on the Middle East, or how it will 
want to expend political capital there.  But these recent 
decisions certainly evince a willingness to be engaged and to 
change the status quo.  It would be worthwhile to engage the 
new government on the Middle East in upcoming meetings.  END 
COMMENT 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
DICKSON