Canadian MP quits 'pro-Israel party'

Sana Hassainia, a New Democratic Party (NDP) MP, has quit the party parliamentary bloc over what she felt was an excessively pro-Israel stance on the current war on Gaza.

Hassainia was critical of NDP Leader Tom Mulcair in a blog post that appeared online yesterday, noting that she had been forced to stay quiet over her views on the Middle East.

“Today, I have the courage to make a significant gesture, to take a weight off my shoulders and stand by my convictions,” she said.

The 39-year old MP, of Tunisian origins, said that she would continue her term in the parliament as an independent until the upcoming elections slated next year.

Responding to Hassainia’s remarks, Mulcair said his party “has a long-standing position in favour of the two-state solution in the Middle East.”