Canada’s ‘New York Call' is not a peace plan - it's a roadmap to reward genocide
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On July 30, the Government of Canada proudly released the so-called “New York Call,” a joint statement with 14 other Western-aligned countries, urging the international community to normalize relations with Israel. At first glance, the statement might seem like a balanced push for peace. It references a two-state solution, the suffering in Gaza, and even calls for a ceasefire. But scratch the surface, and its real purpose becomes clear: to pressure the world into rewarding Israel with deeper diplomatic integration—while sidestepping any real accountability for the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
The joint statement was released as Gaza continues to reel from nine months of Israel’s relentless bombardment, siege, and starvation tactics. Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed—most of them women and children. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened. UN experts, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have all raised the specter of genocide and war crimes. Yet Canada and its allies offer no condemnation of Israel’s actions. Instead, they call on other countries to extend diplomatic relations with the very government perpetrating these crimes.
Let’s be clear: this is not diplomacy. It is complicity.
The New York Call demands “an immediate ceasefire”—but immediately qualifies that with the “unconditional release of all hostages” and calls for “unhindered humanitarian access.” Notably absent is any mention of the over 10,000 Palestinians detained by Israel, many without charge or trial. Also missing is any reference to the ICJ’s provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts, or the ICC prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
More telling, the statement praises Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas for promising to end payments to prisoners’ families, reform education, and disarm Hamas—all preconditions, apparently, for Palestinians to be deemed worthy of statehood. These are not peace terms; they are surrender demands. Canada and its partners are endorsing a post-war scenario in which Palestinians are denied democratic agency, their resistance is criminalized wholesale, and any future state is demilitarized, monitored, and effectively controlled by foreign powers.
This is not a vision of peace between equals. It’s a blueprint for enforced submission.
Perhaps the most appalling part of the New York Call is its call for other countries to normalize relations with Israel. The statement urges nations “to express their willingness to enter into discussions on the regional integration of the State of Israel.” At a time when global outrage over Israel’s conduct is reaching a peak, and international legal bodies are taking action, Canada is lobbying for Israel’s inclusion and acceptance. There is no mention of conditions. No demand that Israel cease settlement expansion. No insistence on accountability for war crimes. Just normalization, full stop.
This demand comes as the Israeli government, led by the most extreme coalition in its history, openly declares its intent to permanently occupy Gaza, annex the West Bank, and prevent Palestinian self-determination. Israeli ministers refer to Palestinians as “human animals,” and hunger is being used as a weapon of war. The call to normalize relations in this context is nothing less than a diplomatic whitewashing of these crimes.
The statement repeats the well-worn commitment to a two-state solution. But it also insists on unifying Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority and excluding Hamas from any governance role. In doing so, it defines in advance who is permitted to represent Palestinians, effectively vetoing their democratic will.
In fact, there is no genuine two-state solution on the table. Israel’s ongoing settlement expansion, its military control of all borders, and its refusal to allow a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem all make a viable Palestinian state impossible under current conditions. By demanding a “demilitarized” Palestinian state while refusing to impose any limits on Israel’s military dominance, the New York Call reinforces the status quo of occupation and apartheid, rather than offering a path to genuine sovereignty.
anada has long styled itself as a promoter of peace and international law. But in recent years, its foreign policy has become increasingly indistinguishable from Washington’s. The New York Call is yet another example of Canada aligning itself with efforts that isolate Palestinians, shield Israel from consequences, and distort the narrative of the conflict.
Rather than using its diplomatic voice to call for justice and accountability, Canada is helping to reframe the problem. In this narrative, the obstacle to peace isn’t Israel’s decades-long occupation or its escalating violations of international law—it’s Palestinian resistance, Palestinian governance, Palestinian demands for dignity.
Canada’s credibility on human rights is eroded with every such statement. At a time when brave South African diplomats are standing before the ICJ to argue against genocide, Canada is helping Israel rebuild its legitimacy.
If Canada and its partners were serious about peace, they would:
Demand an immediate and unconditional ceasefire,
Insist on full access for war crimes investigations,
Condemn Israel’s targeting of civilians, aid workers, and medical facilities,
Support the ICJ and ICC processes without qualification,
Call for an end to the siege and occupation—not just the disarmament of Hamas.
But none of this appears in the New York Call. The document is not designed to stop the bloodshed. It is designed to manage optics, protect alliances, and prevent international legal consequences for Israel.
History will judge the “New York Call” not as a peace initiative but as a moment of moral abdication. It will sit alongside the Oslo Accords, the Abraham Accords, and other diplomatic schemes that promised peace while enabling further dispossession and violence. But this time, the stakes are higher. We are in the middle of what international experts have described as a textbook case of genocide.
Canada had a choice: to stand with justice, or to stand with impunity. It chose the latter.
As a Canadian, I refuse to accept this in my name.
(Faisal Kutty is a Toronto-based lawyer and regular contributor to The Toronto Star. His articles also appear in Newsweek, Aljazeera, Zeteo, and Middle East Eye. You can follow him on X @faisalkutty)
