The Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) on Monday removed one of its lawmakers following her controversial statement about the Israel-Hamas war. The lawmaker, Sarah Jama, caused an uproar after she posted a statement to X in which she called for an immediate ceasefire as well as an "end to all occupation of Palestinian land." Jama also said in her statement that "violence and retaliation rooted in settler colonialism have taken the lives of far too many innocent people" while failing to mention the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel which resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people. NDP Leader Marit Stiles said in a statement quoted by the CBC on Monday that while the caucus allows different viewpoints, some of Jama's actions since making her comments "have contributed to unsafe work environments for staff." "Ms. Jama and I had reached an agreement to keep her in the NDP caucus, which included working together in good faith with no surprises. Our caucus and staff have made significant efforts to support her during an undoubtedly difficult time," Stiles said. "Since then, she has undertaken a number of unilateral actions that have undermined our collective work and broken the trust of her colleagues." Shortly before Stiles' announcement, Jama spoke in the House, reaffirming her support for Palestinian Arabs in Gaza and opposition to Israel's military action in retaliation to the Hamas attacks. "I restate my call for an immediate ceasefire by Israeli forces, and for the immediate restoration of food, water, fuel, and electricity to Gaza," Jama said, according to the CBC . "I applaud the many elected officials in Canada who have joined this call in recent days, and I hope even more of you will speak out." She also described Israel's historical and continued actions as "domination and occupation of Palestinian land." Related articles: Lawmaker who released anti-Israel statement to run as independent Toronto-area teen arrested over plans to join ISIS B’nai Brith Canada files complaint against University of Windsor U of Windsor reaches agreement with anti-Israel protesters Jama has come under fire in the past over her support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movements. At the time, the NDP stood by Jama , with Stiles describing her as a leading disability justice advocate.
