Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to speak today on behalf of B'nai Brith Canada about Canada's role in advancing a two-state solution.

B'nai Brith is Canada's oldest human rights organization and the voice of Canada's grassroots Jewish community. Our organization, founded in 1875, is dedicated to eradicating racism, anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms while championing the rights of the marginalized.

I believe it must be stated at the outset that as we wear poppies today to remember the sacrifices of Canadian fighting men and women who defend our way of life, it is the State of Israel today that is the bulwark against those who would tear the fabric of Canadian and western society asunder.

B'nai Brith's submission to this committee comes at a critical time as Israel, the Middle East's only democracy, faces an existential threat on multiple fronts. The recommendations we provide today are essential if Canada is to contribute meaningfully to any possible two-state framework that secures both peace and democratic stability.

Our first recommendation is that the Government of Canada unequivocally support Israel's efforts to eliminate all extra-territorial threats that currently compromise its security. The failure of the west to secure Israel has undermined previous peace efforts, forcing Israel to engage in repeated defensive actions against terrorist threats. Unless and until the Iranian-backed terror network is dismantled, a two-state solution remains dangerously unrealistic. Terrorist entities in the Palestinian territories have repeatedly shown that they are not interested in a lasting peace. Until all of these terrorist groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Hamas, all of which are designated as terror entities by Canada, are permanently removed, a viable framework cannot exist.

As an aside, last week, at Israel's National Military Cemetery at Mount Herzl, I again personally visited the graves of the many brave IDF soldiers who gave their lives fighting the defensive war now ongoing, a war neither started nor desired by Israel. Those calling for ceasefires must remember that these groups have never failed to violate each and every ceasefire agreed to by Israel.

From outside the Palestinian territories, the Iranian regime's axis of resistance—Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ansar Allah in Yemen and Shia militias in Iraq—poses an equally dangerous threat. Any meaningful support must begin with neutralizing this network that Iran has orchestrated to destabilize the region and prevent peace.

Our second recommendation is that the Government of Canada commit to building a democratic framework in the Palestinian territories before recognizing a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas—now in its twentieth year of a four-year mandate—lacks both democratic legitimacy and effective governance.

Recognizing a Palestinian state without stable and proven democratic governance risks replacing the failures observed elsewhere, with Afghanistan serving as a cautionary example.

Afghanistan's situation demonstrates the dangers of premature recognition without democratic structures. The result is a state where undemocratic governance and terror influences have led to severe and repeated human rights abuses, particularly against women. Afghanistan's challenges serve as a warning against recognizing any state in which governance and democratic accountability are completely absent.

Canada's role in ensuring that the Palestinian territories establish real and democratic governance is essential. Only reforms that restore electoral processes and accountability within the Palestinian Authority will contribute to lasting peace.

Furthermore, a two-state solution cannot succeed without a Palestinian state that recognizes Israel's right to exist. Palestine must first cease its toxic UNRWA-funded hate education for the young. It must first cease its “pay-to-slay” reward program for terrorism. Any framework remains horribly premature if these preconditions are absent.

In conclusion, the Government of Canada must not recognize a Palestinian state prematurely and Canada must avoid the mistakes witnessed in cases like Afghanistan, where governance failures and terror influences have resulted in prolonged instability and deep human suffering.

Canada's support as a leader in international peacebuilding is essential to establish a democratic and secure base for any solution that can bring stability and peace to Israelis and Palestinians.