Liberal-appointed Sen. Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) is facing criticism after posting a Twitter message misrepresenting a news story to suggest that Canadian volunteers in the Israeli Defence Force might be guilty of war crimes. Blacklock's Reporter says Woo declined to comment when asked about the post.The senator’s remarks followed a report by The Maple, an alternative news site, which published names of 49 Canadians who had volunteered for the Israeli military. The names were drawn from publicly available sources, including Israeli military records, LinkedIn profiles, and articles in the Jerusalem Post and Canadian Jewish News. .The Maple explicitly cautioned readers not to draw adverse conclusions, noting that “it is legal for Canadian citizens to join the Israeli military” and that not all volunteers may have served in Gaza.Woo ignored that advisory, tweeting that the volunteers’ actions could implicate both the individuals and the Canadian government for “not enforcing the law against recruitment of a foreign military.”The Foreign Enlistment Act, which Woo cited, prohibits Canadians from joining “the armed forces of any foreign state at war with any friendly or foreign state.” Legal experts note that Gaza is not a recognized state, and there is no precedent for prosecuting Canadians who volunteer with Israel..Woo has a history of accusing Israel of genocide and previously sponsored a Senate motion calling for an examination of “complicity in violations of international humanitarian law including war crimes” by Canadians. In his posts, he questioned media coverage of Gaza, alleged double standards compared to Ukraine, and suggested foreign interference in Canada may have played a role in allowing alleged war crimes.Eight Canadians were among those killed or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Israel on October 7, 2023, highlighting the complexity and sensitivity of Canadian involvement in foreign conflicts.
