Mid East Ministers Conversed resolution to Israel Hamas war with Justin Trudeau in Ottawa

A group of foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and Turkey were in Ottawa Saturday for a quietly planned meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to discuss attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war.

Trudeau joined the meeting in Ottawa towards its conclusion. His public itinerary for Saturday had originally said only that he was holding private meetings in the National Capital Region. His itinerary was updated to note his presence at the summit with Joly after the fact. The media was not provided with the location of the meeting.

The delegation calls itself the Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit and it normally includes Jordan, though Joly’s office says that country needed to send its foreign minister on other business.

The group is not a joint peace project with Israel, and says its leaders aim to speak on behalf of Arab and Muslim people following Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in response to the Hamas attack.

This is the first visit of Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister to Canada since a diplomatic chill over human rights issues in 2018, when Riyadh recalled its ambassador from Ottawa and expelled Canada’s envoy.

Joly’s office said the ministers discussed political pathways to a comprehensive and lasting peace, with a focus on “self-determination, human rights and security” for both Palestinians and Israelis.

They also discussed the need to allow much more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.

The delegation is in Ottawa after travelling to Washington, with the group so far focused on the five members of the UN Security Council and the European Union presidency holder, Spain.

The group of ministers had previously visited the capitals of China, France, Russia, Britain and the U.S., as well as Spain. (Source Global News)