CANADA TO HAMAS: NO CONTACT, NO AID, NO JOKE

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

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CANADA IS FIRST WESTERN NATION TO CUT AID
AND STATE NO CONTACT POLICY
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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.

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Q --------------
CANADA CHANGES ITS UN VOTES ON
ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN RESOLUTIONS
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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

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DICKSON