Israel Denies Entry to Six Canadian MPs in West Bank
Six Canadian Members of Parliament and a 24-member delegation were turned away from the West Bank on Tuesday after being denied entry by Israeli authorities at the Allenby border crossing from Jordan.
The group, sponsored by the Canadian-Muslim Vote (TCMV), intended to observe conditions and engage with stakeholders in the region. According to the Israeli Ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, the denial stemmed from TCMV’s association with Islamic Relief Worldwide, which Israel designates as a terrorist organization. “The issue really is the link to a terrorist organisation,” he said.
TCMV has vehemently refuted these claims, stating its funding comes from vetted donors. Islamic Relief Canada CEO Tufail Hussain also dismissed the allegations as “baseless and dangerous,” adding, “they place aid workers and the beneficiaries we serve at risk.”
Israeli military body COGAT, responsible for overseeing border crossings, explained to CBC News the decision was made “for security reasons” and attributed the incident to the delegation’s arrival “without prior co-ordination”.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), whose staff and community leaders were part of the delegation, labelled the denial as “deeply troubling.” NCCM CEO Stephen Brown criticized the Israeli government, asserting the incident reflects “a broader pattern” of restricting access for independent observers in the occupied territories.
The Canadian MPs affected included Fares Al Soud, Iqra Khalid, Aslam Rana, Gurbux Saini, and Sameer Zuberi, all from the Liberal Party, as well as Jenny Kwan of the New Democratic Party. Kwan described the situation as “completely unacceptable”, firmly rejecting any suggestion that the lawmakers posed a security threat.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed the incident on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, stating her ministry “expressed Canada’s objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians while attempting to cross.”
This latest denial comes amid escalating tensions between Canada and Israel. Canada formally recognized a Palestinian state in September, a move Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deemed “disgraceful.” It also follows similar incidents in April and September involving UK MPs denied entry to Israel while on trips organized by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU). A UK Foreign Office spokesperson previously called such occurrences “totally unacceptable and deeply concerning”.
Notably, a separate group of Canadian MPs were granted access on a similar TCMV-sponsored trip earlier in 2024, adding a layer of complexity to the current situation.
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