Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that Canada will execute an International Criminal Court arrest warrant if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Canadian territory. The declaration combines Ottawa’s recent diplomatic shift with months of grassroots pressure.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Mr. Carney was asked if Canada would comply with the ICC’s orders, and he answered “yes”, saying, “If you enter Canada, you will be arrested pursuant to the orders of the International Criminal Court.”
In November 2024, the ICC issued a warrant charging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Army Minister Yoav Gallant with war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s Gaza operation. Judges earlier this month rejected Israel’s bid to suspend these warrants.
Carney’s stance follows Ottawa’s formal recognition of a Palestinian state in September, a step the government deemed necessary to maintain a two-state horizon. It also comes in response to growing international concern about civilian suffering in Gaza, where the Palestinian Authority and international observers have reported more than 68,000 deaths and widespread devastation. A United Nations commission subsequently determined that Israel’s actions amounted to genocide, along with other serious violations of international law.
Secretary Carney explained the decision by saying that Israel is “working systematically to thwart the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state” through the expansion of illegal settlements and actions that will cause “catastrophic and preventable famine” in the Gaza Strip.
This diplomatic shift has been driven in part by sustained pro-Palestinian activity. Encampments on campuses, large marches, and mass demonstrations from Montreal to Toronto have heightened demands for accountability, divestment, and an end to arms transfers to Israel, and put pressure on policymakers to turn the energy of protest into policy.
Supporters of Ottawa’s decision say it aligns Canadian law with international justice and provides some accountability to Gazans who have experienced devastating loss.