A delegation of Canadian parliamentarians was denied entry into Israel this week, preventing them from traveling to the occupied West Bank. The group, which included five Liberal MPs and one New Democrat, was sponsored by a Muslim charity for the trip.
Delegation Turned Back at the Border
On Tuesday, Israeli authorities barred the six Canadian MPs from crossing from Jordan into Israel, which controls access to the West Bank. The delegation included Liberal MPs Fares Al Soud, Iqra Khalid, Aslam Rana, Sameer Zuberi, and Gurbux Saini, alongside NDP MP Jenny Kwan.
According to reports, Israel provided a form stating the denial was due to "public security or public safety or public order considerations." Some members of the delegation complained of rough treatment by Israeli border agents, though Israel maintains its sovereign right to refuse entry to any visitor.
A spokesperson for Israel's embassy in Canada later clarified to the Toronto Star that the decision was linked to the sponsoring charity's alleged connection to an aid organization Israel considers a security threat, even though Canada does not share that designation.
A Context of Strained Relations
The incident did not occur in a vacuum. It reflects a significant deterioration in Canada-Israel relations, where Israel no longer views Canada as a reliable ally. This shift has been marked by several key Canadian policy decisions that have drawn criticism from Israel and praise from Hamas, which Canada designates as a terrorist organization.
Hamas has publicly thanked Canada's Liberal government on three distinct occasions during the Gaza war. The first was in December 2023 after Canada voted for a UN ceasefire resolution Israel viewed as biased. The second thanks came in May following a joint statement with the U.K. and France threatening "concrete actions" if Israel continued military operations in Gaza.
The third instance was in September, after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada's recognition of the state of Palestine. Hamas described this move as the "fruits" of its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. This recognition proceeded despite Canada's own stated conditions for Palestinian statehood—including Hamas disarming and the release of Israeli hostages—remaining unmet.
Heightened Tensions and Travel Warnings
Further inflaming tensions, Prime Minister Carney has stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would face arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant if he entered Canada. Given this fraught diplomatic landscape, the expectation that the MPs would be welcomed was, at best, naive.
Adding another layer of context, the Canadian government itself advises citizens to avoid all travel to the West Bank due to the volatile security situation. The delegation's plan to visit the region, therefore, proceeded against official federal travel advice.
The barring of the MPs underscores the deep fissures that have opened in a once-steadfast bilateral relationship. It highlights how foreign policy decisions in Ottawa have tangible consequences, affecting everything from high-level diplomacy to the mobility of elected officials seeking to engage directly with the region.
