Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City on Thursday. World leaders representing more than 20 countries have agreed that Hamas cannot play any role in the governance of Gaza.Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters
Brandon Silver is an international human-rights lawyer and director of policy and projects at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. He has acted on behalf of Israeli and Palestinian victims and hostages of Hamas. Manar Al-Sharif is a Palestinian-Syrian journalist and human-rights advocate. She spent three months as a political prisoner of Hamas in Gaza before resettling in Canada.
The first phase of the Trump administration’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza has been completed, and a fragile ceasefire has taken hold. But to truly end the conflict, Hamas needs to be disarmed and dismantled. Blacklisting Hamas via United Nations sanctions would be a major contribution to this, and Canada is uniquely placed to help lead the effort.
Hamas is already retaking control of Gaza, while brutally torturing and executing Palestinian dissidents and opponents. This is a breach of international law, and a grave threat to the ceasefire.
World leaders representing more than 20 countries, who met at the Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit in Egypt on Monday, agreed that Hamas cannot play any role in the governance of Gaza. Yet, most of the world remains free to do business with Hamas, offering them a lifeline.
A UN designation would change that. All 193 UN member states are bound to enforce sanctions implemented under Article 41 of the UN Charter. In one fell swoop, Hamas could no longer be provided with arms or finances from anywhere in the world, and their leaders would face worldwide restrictions on their assets, travel and transactions. No bank, business, port or person could legally engage with Hamas if a Security Council resolution is adopted saying so.
Peace can’t be attained until both Gaza and Gazans themselves are rebuilt
Co-ordinated pressure was one of the main factors forcing Hamas to accept ceasefire terms they initially rejected. Sanctions by individual countries were particularly challenging for the terror group, with Hamas decrying these moves and campaigning for their delisting. UN sanctions would exponentially expand what has already been proven to work in pursuit of peace.
Canada is uniquely positioned to advance this initiative. Canadians were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has been outspoken on Gaza.
Despite not being a member of the Security Council itself, Canada can help build the global consensus for the council to act.
As a founder and active member of the UN, Canadian diplomats are adept at navigating the institution and building support for major projects, such as the treaty to end the use of landmines (now known as the Ottawa Treaty), or the creation of a peacekeeping force in the Sinai, which won Lester Pearson the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Carney’s gravitas as one of the greatest economic experts on the world stage gives Canada unique credibility to be spearheading the economic restrictions against Hamas. His participation on Monday at the peace summit in Egypt builds a strong foundation for doing so.
To start building more momentum, Canada can host a high-level side event or partner with a Security Council member to initiate an Arria-formula briefing at the UN. Bypassing bureaucracy and vetoes, an Arria briefing allows for an informal meeting of the Security Council on the subject, but with participation of any additional invited countries, and with testimony from key stakeholders such as humanitarian leaders, financial experts and Palestinian and Israeli Hamas victims. This could catalyze action and demonstrate why a UN sanction designation for Hamas is timely and necessary. Canada can strengthen these efforts by simultaneously expanding sanctions against Hamas from outside the UN system.
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Existing sanctions against Hamas are incongruous and unco-ordinated, with different individuals and entities designated across various jurisdictions. As the current president of the G7 group of the world’s major economies, Canada can galvanize this core set of influential, like-minded states to expand and co-ordinate sanctions against Hamas, and encourage other countries to do the same.
But to be an effective interlocutor, Canada must make its own Hamas sanctions relevant. No new targeted sanctions against Hamas have been implemented since Mr. Carney assumed office. Hamas has new leadership and affiliates who remain unsanctioned in Canada, and this should be fixed forthwith.
Whether it spends its money on vast amounts of real estate, or a rocket to launch at civilians, Hamas relies on a global financial network to fund it. Depriving it of that money is not just a technical exercise; it’s a moral imperative that will save lives and secure peace. By advancing UN sanctions against Hamas, Mr. Carney can stake out a global leadership role in sustaining a permanent ceasefire, and establish Canada as a force in financial diplomacy.
This is the leadership that Palestinian and Israeli civilians deserve, that Canadians expect and that the world will applaud.