Broken Brotherhood

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Canada and Israel are the greatest of friends, and the most natural of allies…. Through fire and water, Canada will stand with you” (Times of Israel). Those words, spoken just a little over a decade ago to the Knesset (Israeli legislature) by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, highlighted the strong commitment between these two nations.

We live in an age when allegiances shift quickly. When Harper spoke those words, few would have imagined that just a little more than a decade later we would see the Palestinian flag fly at the city hall of Canada’s largest city after a statement from the nation’s Prime Minister in which the Dominion of Canada officially recognized Palestine as a state.

Canada’s official stance had long been to seek a “two-state” solution in attempts to stabilize relations between Israelis and Palestinians. Even Prime Minister Harper’s speech to the Knesset identified this solution as Canada’s hope for the region. However, the push for a two-state solution was always dependent on a written settlement that would include concessions by both sides. So, what caused Canada to stop waiting for such concessions and simply jump ahead to recognizing a second state?

A Shocking Statement

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s September 21, 2025 statement listed the following four reasons why his government believes a negotiated settlement became unlikely:

• The pervasive threat of Hamas terrorism to Israel and its people, culminating in the heinous terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and Hamas’ longstanding violent rejection of Israel’s right to exist and a two-state solution.

• The accelerated settlement building across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while settler violence against Palestinians has soared.

• Actions such as the E1 Settlement Plan and this year’s vote by the Knesset calling for the annexation of the West Bank.

• The Israeli government’s contribution to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, including by impeding access to food and other essential humanitarian supplies.

Notice that the statement breaks Israel’s perceived overreaction to the October 7 attacks into three separate points, while all the actions taken by Hamas are concentrated into one. One must ask: If Canada’s government is recognizing Palestine because it believes that a negotiated settlement on a two-state solution is now beyond reach, and if one of the reasons such a settlement is beyond reach is the terrorist attacks of October 7, does this mean that the attacks were successful, causing Canada to bypass any need for concessions and agreements and to fast-forward to recognition of the new state?

It seems that such a question was considered in the crafting of Prime Minister Carney’s statement, as such concerns are addressed and brushed aside by its assurance that “this in no way legitimises terrorism, nor is it any reward for it.” Carney’s statement goes on to elaborate the Canadian position that there is no place for Hamas in the newly recognized state of Palestine. On the surface, this sounds wise.

However, Canada’s recognition of Palestine was not tied to the elimination or isolation of Hamas. In fact, Hamas was one of the first organizations to react: “Although Prime Minister Mark Carney insisted that his recognition of Palestinian statehood on Sunday was a move to isolate Hamas, the Gazan terror group ended up being one of the first to praise the decision” (National Post). This marked the third time since the October 7 attacks that Hamas has specifically and publicly thanked Canada for United Nations votes or public statements that were critical of Israel’s operations in Gaza. If a terrorist organization is publicly praising your decisions, that should be cause for concern.

Following Carney’s statement, pro-Palestinian protests have occurred across Canada, and Toronto even raised the Palestinian flag over its city hall on November 17 to honour the 37th anniversary of Palestine’s Declaration of Independence. Such actions illustrate the significant shift in relations between these nations.

In response, Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, issued a strongly worded statement: “Let us be clear: Israel will not bow to the campaign of international pressure against it…. We will not sacrifice our very existence by permitting the imposition of a jihadist state on our ancestral homeland that seeks our annihilation.” His thoughts on Carney’s statement recognizing Palestine? “It’s just horrific” (Canadian Jewish News).

Shared Values Tested

The recent conflict has caused many Canadians to ask why Canada has had such a strong bond with Israel in the first place. Historically, the two nations have held many shared values. Indeed, longtime readers of Tomorrow’s World will know that the two nations have a shared history dating much further into the past than most realize.

When the patriarch Jacob, having been renamed Israel, was near death, he gathered his sons together to tell them what God had in store for their descendants. We understand that those descendants would go on to form many nations, including the modern state of Israel. However, while the modern state bears Israel’s name, it is predominantly made up of descendants of Jacob’s son Judah. Jacob prophesied in Genesis 49:8–9, “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise…. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies…. Judah is a lion’s whelp…. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him?”

Israel has become a great military power and certainly has its hand on the neck of its enemies. Interestingly, the name Israel chose for its military campaign into Gaza was Operation Roaring Lion. You may have noticed in the above Genesis 49 passage that Judah was prophesied to receive the praise of his brothers. For much of the history of the modern state of Israel, Judah has indeed had the praise, respect, and allegiance of many of the other nations descended from Jacob and his twelve sons.

However, the prophet Isaiah was inspired to record a prophecy that this would not always be the case. As the Israelite-descended nations cast off the shared values that once bound them together, cracks will arise in their relationships. Canada, along with other English-descended nations and England itself, finds its roots in the Israelite tribe of Ephraim. Judah and Ephraim in particular, along with Manasseh (the United States), are foretold to see their relationships sour: “Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still” (Isaiah 9:21).

But this sour turn in relations will not be permanent. After the Messiah returns as King of kings and Lord of lords, the broken brotherhood of Ephraim and Judah will be healed: “Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim” (Isaiah 11:13).

To see Canada’s lineage traced through history, you can order a free copy of our booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. You can order it from the Regional Office nearest you, listed on page 4 of this magazine, or you can read or listen to it here at TomorrowsWorld.org. This booklet provides valuable context for much of what we are witnessing in world events today.