Iran ceases fire on Gaza's “opportunity” for peace, Palestinian state: Kahni-state
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he hopes an unstable ceasefire between Iran and Israel will provide an “opportunity” to end hostilities in Gaza and ultimately a broader Middle East peace, including a “Zionist” Palestinian state committed to Israel's security.
In an interview with CNN International, which aired before the NATO summit in The Hague, Carney said that “there is potential is decisive” after U.S. President Donald Trump showed “U.S. power” in a bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Carney said the action and the resulting ceasefire announced on Monday that “does create the possibility of stabilizing Gaza.”
“In the absence of peace in Gaza, can lasting peace be established in the Middle East, taking into account Gaza and the West Bank and effectively following the path to the Palestinian state? I agree with all of this.”
“(Palestinians) live side by side with Israel’s security – Zionists, if you will, the Palestinian state recognizes Israel’s rights, not only to exist, but to flourish rather than fear, and we will not be able to be peaceful – unless we move towards this action.”
He added: “As we sit today develop, the potential trajectory associated with Iran really creates another window for this.”
Since returning to office, Trump has not publicly supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and key members of the Trump administration, including U.S. in Israel, Mike Huckabee, have voiced refuting the Palestinian state’s ideas.
The State Department mentioned all questions about whether U.S. foreign policy still supports two-state solutions to the White House and Trump.
Carney said an immediate ceasefire and “complete restoration of humanitarian aid” to Gaza must be accompanied by the return of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas, “to avoid anyone thinking I don’t admit it.”
He noted that the joint statement issued by the G7 leaders at the summit in Alberta last week said the resolution on the conflict in Iran must lead to “the wider reduction of hostilities in the Middle East, including in Gaza, despite his appeal to Parastan.”
Carney issued a joint statement with French and British leaders last month, angering Netanyahu and the Trump Administration to warn Israel of the consequences if humanitarian aid to Gaza is not restored.
The Prime Minister said Canadian soldiers stationed at U.S. military bases in Qatar were “harmful” when they were attacked by Iran on Monday after Iran warned the United States and Qatar ahead of retaliation.
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He added that he “will lean towards President Trump's explanation” to explain Iran's response, which opened a window for the ceasefire agreement.
With the Iran conflict, Carney, who spoke with Trump over the weekend, also supported Trump, saying Iran's nuclear program posed an imminent threat, despite U.S. intelligence claims the regime has not yet restarted its weapons program.
“They have a novel, and they've committed it's just a means of peace,” he said.
“They enriched uranium to a certain extent – they hid the facilities or tried to hide the facilities – which is totally unnecessary for civilians to use nuclear technology. So, I think this combination, a combination of belligerent combination, its combination of terrorist state sponsors throughout the region, in one direction.”
Carney said Canada will reach NATO's new 5% target.
Carney also said Canada is committed to achieving NATO's new defense spending target, 5% of GDP, which will be officially agreed at this week's summit.
Under the new 10-year plan, countries will spend 3.5% of GDP on “core” defenses (such as weapons and forces) and further pay 1.5% in security-related investments, such as roads, ports and bridges adapted to military vehicles to protect pipelines, protect pipelines and block Cyberatattarks.
Carney has pledged to meet its previous target of 2% for the fiscal year, with new investments of more than $9 billion.
Although he acknowledged that 5% of Canada's GDP equals about $150 billion, he said the language of the NATO agreement allows Canada to achieve new goals through programs that are not related to defense.
“Canada is one of the largest and most diverse deposits of key minerals and we will develop these minerals,” Carney said.
“Some of these expenditures involve this five percent. In fact, this will happen in this 5 percent due to infrastructure spending, ports and rail, and other ways to get these minerals. So it's something that benefits the Canadian economy, but it's also part of our New NATO responsibilities.”
Carney said the investments, as well as a partnership with other allies, such as those signed with the EU on Monday, will also be “positive for U.S. relations.” He praised Trump for pushing NATO allies to “pay fair share and bear their own weight.”
“I think we're doing that right now,” he said.
He also refuted concerns that Canada's turn to other allies would anger Trump or undermine negotiations with the United States' new deal
“It's a reaction, if you want to, to what's going on in the United States, but it's not a reaction to the United States,” he said. “It's for something, not against it.”
Asked if Trump is still bringing up his appeal for the Canadian annex through private discussions, Carney said: “He is not.”
“He admires Canada, and I think it's arguably fair, maybe for a while,” he said.
“We are two sovereign nations and they are discussing the future of our trade relations, our defense partnerships, which have been strong in the past. How will this develop?”
Will Carney push Trump to Ukraine?
When asked if Carney would try to convince Trump to maintain U.S. military support for Ukraine, Carney said: “Yes, absolutely.”
He also said that he did not believe that the United States would “get away” completely from Ukraine.
“Other measures can be taken,” he said, pointing to the new sanctions imposed by Canada and Europe on Russia. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham proposed a sanctions package in the U.S. Senate, but Trump has not yet endorsed it.
“If it is made, it's an option and it's a game-changer,” Carney said.
However, he acknowledged that military support “is very important here – it’s a war,” adding that NATO would not be able to fully bridge the gap in military support if U.S. aid stopped.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended several side job meetings ahead of the official NATO leaders’ summit on Tuesday, and Zelenskyy was not invited to attend. He attended the G7 summit but was unable to meet with Trump, who went to Washington early to oversee the Iran-Israel conflict.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he hopes to meet him in Brussels.
