As Canadians react to Israel-Hamas conflict, deeply held beliefs expose an emotional divide

With violence erupting in Israel and the Palestinian territories, differing and strongly held views are sparking heated debates in communities and on social media across Canada.

In the hours following the early morning attack by Hamas militants on Saturday, a union that represents teaching and research assistants at McMaster University in Hamilton posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, saying, "Palestine is rising, long live the resistance," with a quote from Palestinian author and revolutionist Ghassan Kanafani.

The post has since been deleted but McMaster swiftly responded with a statement on its website, noting it was "shocked and disappointed at the comments made by CUPE Local 3906." 

While the union "is an independent group with the right to express its views, the university is in disagreement with any statement condoning violence," it said. 

The contrasting statements show the range of reactions in Canada after a deadly Hamas surprise attack on Israel resulted in Israel's prime minister issuing a declaration of war and launching airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

At least 900 people have been reportedly killed in Israel since Saturday, while Palestinian officials say more than 680 people have been killed in Gaza. As of Monday, Palestinian militant groups claim to be holding over 130 captives from the Israeli side.

At least one Canadian, a 33-year-old Montreal man, was among those killed at a music festival. 

Israel has vowed to cut off electricity and stop the supply of water, food and gas to Gaza. 

Public statements spark debate

While people in Canada with connections to Israel and Palestinian territories are forced to anxiously watch as violence escalates back home, views — impassioned and sometimes inflammatory — are being shared publicly. 

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which represents Jewish federations across Canada, lashed out at a statement focused on the attacks happening in Gaza that was posted to social media by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). 

"We have seen images coming out of the Middle East that are horrific. Images of Israeli attacks on Gaza... Images of Palestinian and Israeli civilians in immense suffering," the NCCM statement begins. 

The CIJA called the comments "sickening" and said it "fails to condemn Hamas violence targeting innocent civilians." 

The NCCM responded, in part: "We refuse to allow human suffering to be politicized in such a way." 

Canadian elected officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, premiers and mayors of several cities, condemned the Hamas attacks.

In Toronto, at North York's Mel Lastman Square during a rally in support of Israel, Mayor Olivia Chow told the crowd that she will not stand in silence. "In this dark hour, I stand with you, the members of Toronto's Jewish community," she said Monday evening.

In Hamilton, the mayor and several councillors also posted social messages on X. 

Mayor Andrea Horwath said her heart goes out to "the Israeli and Palestinian communities here in Hamilton who are mourning the destruction of their homelands and worrying about the well-being of friends and loved ones." 

Hamilton public school board trustee Sabreina Dahab also posted on X, stating: "75 years of violent occupation and apartheid and the expectation is that Palestinians will be passive observers in their genocide?"

While the creation of Israel in 1948 displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and a 2022 Amnesty International report formally accused the Israeli government of building an apartheid state in its occupied territories, Canada has said it rejects the view that "Israel's actions constitute apartheid." Canada also does not recognize Israeli actions as genocide. 

Gustavo Rymberg, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Hamilton, said he's concerned about Dahab's post, written by someone who is making "decisions about public education." 

He encouraged people to "read every side of the story and get informed." He cautioned against getting information from social media sites like TikTok. 

Rymberg said he has friends in Israel who lost family members and friends because they were "shot in the street" on Saturday.

"What happened, it's inconceivable," he said. "The fact that there are people celebrating this has no words, no explanation," he said, referring to demonstrations held in cities such as Montreal on Sunday. "How people celebrate something like that, it's disgusting." 

Demonstrators in Montreal on Sunday could be heard chanting, "Palestine will be free." One demonstrator who has family in Gaza told CBC News she participated as a way to put a spotlight on the conflict.  "We're just here honestly to support our people back home ... who have been expelled from their homes and oppressed for the past 75 years," Rama Al Malah said.

Ghada Sasa, a PhD student in political science at McMaster University who is Palestinian, said she supports the resistance by Palestinians but says there needs to be an understanding as to why. 

"Associating support for Palestinians with the killing of innocent Jewish civilians is racist because it's not placing our resistance within settler colonial context," she said. "Palestinians are facing cultural appropriation. Israelis are taking our lands. They are expelling us, killing us. We saw many attempts by Palestinians to protest peacefully; for example we had the march of return in 2018, 2019." 

United Nations-backed investigators found Israeli soldiers intentionally fired on civilians during a string of crackdowns against Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza that left 189 people dead in 2018. Israel rejected the report as "hostile, false and biased" at the time.

Sasa is also a member of CUPE local 3906 and was "very proud" of the support she said the union showed for Palestinians.

"It makes sense for them to do so, as a union [that] supports Indigenous rights, Black Lives Matter and a lot of other anti-oppressive causes," she said. 

But as Rymberg notes, the killing of Israeli civilians is also a human rights issue.

He questions what he calls the silence of local equity groups. 

"Why are they not talking? Why are there not any statements from any of the organizations that talk about human rights? Where are they?" he asked.

Hamilton Rabbi David Mivasair — a controversial voice within the Jewish community who has been outspoken against Israel and is a member of Independent Jewish Voices of Canada — called for an "even-handed, balanced understanding" of the conflict.

He said he found it "shocking" to read statements from elected officials, such as his local councillor, that shared concerns "about the safety of Jews and not even mention the other people who are involved."

But for other Jewish leaders in the community, an even-handed approach isn't enough. 

"Don't be in the middle," said Rymberg. "Don't be the nothing person. Take your stand. I'm taking my stand representing my Jewish community."