Ottawa, September 12 (RHC)-- Canada’s top diplomat says her government has suspended about 30 permits for arms shipments to Israel. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday she had also canceled a contract with the U.S.-based weapons maker General Dynamics to sell 50,000 Canadian-produced mortar rounds to the Israeli military.

Mélanie Joly told reporters: “Our policy is clear: We will not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period.  How they’re being sent and where they’re being sent is irrelevant.”

In a statement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East called on Joly to cancel all permits and to proactively block the transfer of any weapons from reaching Israel. 

The anti-war group added: “It is concerning that when Joly says that weapons cannot be used Gaza she is intentionally excluding the West Bank, where Israel has been killing one Palestinian child every two days. We should accept no more weapons to Israel, period.”