The official opening of Quebec's representation abroad, which the Legault government wishes to open in the Middle East, has been postponed to a later date due to the renewal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This information, first revealed by 98.5 FM radio, was confirmed on Tuesday morning by the office of the Minister of International Relations and the Francophonie, Martine Biron.

The press secretary, Catherine Boutcher, told Radio-Canada that the Quebec office in Tel Aviv will officially open once security conditions are met.

In the current context, Minister Biron is postponing her mission to Israel, which was scheduled for next week.

The new office director, Alec Hakobian, who was supposed to accompany her, will continue his work from Quebec, along with the teams dedicated to this region in the ministry.

The opening of Quebec’s representation in Tel Aviv was announced in August by the Legault government. The office will be located at the Canadian embassy in Tel Aviv.

This will be Quebec's thirty-fifth representation abroad – the first in the Middle East. Work on its establishment has been ongoing since 2017, according to Le Devoir newspaper in September.

Quebec and Israel have maintained relations for over 60 years. Minister Biron's office confirmed that trade between the La Belle province and the Hebrew state, which totaled just over $528 million in 2022, has increased over the past four years.

The opening of the Quebec office in Tel Aviv has also been postponed due to the resumption of armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths in recent days.

The Fleurdelysé flag was also lowered to half-mast early on Tuesday on the central tower of the parliament. Minister Biron wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "The National Assembly stands with the victims suffering from violence in Israel."