OTTAWA — Jewish-Canadian leaders are urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take the Emir of Qatar to task over his patronage of Hamas when the two leaders meet face to face in Ottawa this week. “We trust (Trudeau) will urge the emir to end his support for Hamas, the root cause of the conflict and a major barrier to a two-state solution,” wrote Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, in an email to the National Post. “Qatari-backing sustains Hamas, and without it, the group would cease to be a force,” added Fogel.
Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada, said he was of a similar mind. “I hope the prime minister will use the meeting as an opportunity to re-affirm his support for Israel and reiterate his condemnation of Hamas,” Robertson told the National Post by phone. Robertson called Qatar’s “passive support of Hamas” an impediment to lasting peace in the Middle East.
His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is expected to kick off a two-day visit to Ottawa on Tuesday. According to a government press release , he and Trudeau will speak one-on-one about the war in Gaza. “I look forward to welcoming His Highness the Emir of Qatar on his first visit to Canada.
Our two countries are important partners, and together we will strengthen our ties and create opportunities for our peoples,” Trudeau said in a statement over the weekend. The emir is one of Hamas’s biggest be.