Albanese said she was "in shock" when she learned Quebec had opened a trade office in Tel Aviv in June, even as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continued to rage and tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians had been killed.

"Silence, or worse, the justification on the part of a small, but influential number of states, continued to allow and nurture the arrogance that is at the origins of Israeli behaviour today, as we talk," she said.

"It is extremely troubling to see countries which are members of the United Nations pontificate, call into question and cloud the meaning of international law and dehumanizing the victims of these past 12 months."