Pro-Palestinian demonstrators display signs outside of New York City hall, where a pro-Israel rally organised by local Jewish communities is taking place, in New York
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators display signs outside of New York City hall, where a pro-Israel rally organised by local Jewish communities is taking place, in New York July 14, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Canada has strongly criticised Hamas for refusing to accept Israel's ceasefire, as proposed by Egypt.

According to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, it was not a battle between two neighbouring countries. It is rather a battle between a terrorist organisation and a country which is trying to protect itself, he said. Canada recognises Hamas as a terrorist organisation. "The buck stops with Hamas," Baird said Ottawa. "Hamas started this bloodshed. Hamas can end it."

Canada earlier asked world leaders to stand by Israel as it defended the Jewish country for resorting to airstrikes only to defend itself from Hamas attacks. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that there was no justification for "the indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel." He called it a terrorist act. "It is evident that Hamas is deliberately using human shields to further terror in the region," he said.

Unlike Canada which has taken a stand under the situation, the Unites States which is widely known for giving its opinion about international issues is yet to comment much on the on-going crisis. U.S. President Barack Obama did talk to Israel to broker peace but it has been mostly maintained inaction on the issue. According to London-based barrister Toby Cadman, the White House showed its "double standards" in dealing with the crisis.

Cadman said that Obama's government turned a blind eye when numerous Palestinian children were captured in video while being tortured by the Israeli security services. There were videos of them being shot dead as well. However, when the U.S. authorities saw the video of Palestinian-American teenager Tariq Abu Khdeir being tortured, they said that they were "profoundly disturbed." According to the international criminal law specialist, Israel is the only country in the world that arrests, detains and puts children on military trial.

Even the U.S. media is accused of "double standards." American economist Paul Craig Roberts has earlier said that the U.S. media calls it self-defence when Israel kills civilians and calls it "Muslim terrorism" when "someone responds to Israeli aggression with a rocket."

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au