Edmonton mayor under fire for comments on Israel-Gaza war

Edmonton's Jewish community is demanding an apology from Mayor Amarjeet Sohi for comments he has made on the Israel-Gaza war.

While condemning the weekend attack by the terrorist group Hamas in a written statement, Sohi reiterated the impact the violence is having on civilians on both sides.

On Sunday, Sohi stated in part that "the attacks taking place in Israel and Gaza targetting innocent civilians are horrific."

In a subsequent statement Tuesday, the mayor added "Hamas's terrorist attack and Israel's counter offence has led to hundreds of innocent people across the region being killed or injured."

Given the "barbaric" nature of the "unprovoked" actions by Hamas, however, Stacey Leavitt-Wright, the head of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, said Tuesday the statement from Sohi feels like a "sucker punch."

Leavitt-Wright says her community is angry, scared and in shock over the weekend attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens.

Hamas has been declared a terrorist group by Canada and many other Western nations.

"This is the largest number of Jewish civilians killed in one day since the holocaust," Leavitt-Wright told CTV News Edmonton. "Let that sink in. It’s the nightmare of all nightmares."

The Edmonton Jewish community held a vigil Monday night in support of family and friends among those in Israel. The service provided solidarity in the face of horrific accounts of the attack that has spurred a war.

In an interview with CTV News Edmonton, political scientist Duane Bratt says Sohi's statement was an ill-advised attempt to acknowledge the real suffering on both sides of the conflict.

"This was not the time to do that," said Bratt, who works at Mount Royal University in Calgary. "This was in the aftermath of a horrendous terror attack by Hamas. Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization."

Leavitt-Wright said of Sohi's statement Tuesday: "We were hoping for something stronger."

The Jewish Federation is asking Sohi for an apology and a retraction.

Following pressure from journalists to answer questions about the issue, the mayor held a media conference at City Hall in which he doubled down on his previous statements.

"As as mayor, I firmly believe that my role is to stand with Edmontonians and not weigh into global matters that require a very nuanced approach as well as analysis and the understanding that a mayor's office cannot provide," Sohi said, apologizing to the Jewish Federation for not attending Monday's vigil.

"My first statement was focused on supporting Edmontonians, both from the Jewish background as well as from the Palestinian background, and we'll continue to do that."