Canada�s new Liberal party government said it is delivering a �tough message� to Israel after drawing criticism over a statement expressing concern about continued settlement construction as an obstacle to peace.

On Sunday, Foreign Minister Stephane Dion�s office issued a statement saying that Canada is �concerned� by the continuing violence in Israel and the West Bank. While the statement went on to reaffirm Canada�s support for a two-state solution, it also said that �unilateral actions, such as Palestinian initiatives toward statehood in international forums and continued Israeli settlements, are unhelpful and constitute serious obstacles to achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.�

On Monday, a spokesman for Dion, Joe Pickerill, doubled down on the foreign minister�s statement.

�We�re steadfast allies and good friends, and good friends can occasionally deliver tough messages, but it�s by no means to suggest that we’re somehow retreating from any kind of support of Israel,� Pickerill said, Reuters reported.

Canada�s Conservative party, which pushed for a strong pro-Israel policy during its decade in power under former prime minister Stephen Harper before falling to the Liberals in the latest Canadian election, said that by omission, the statement �equates such terrorist attacks with Israeli settlement construction. This is unacceptable.�

Pickerill, however, clarified that Canada was not trying to create a �faux balance� between both sides.

�We�re not necessarily equating the violence by any means on both sides, but there have been issues, and we need to be in a position to point that out,� Pickerill said.

(Source: JNS.org)