Six Canadian MPs denied entry by Israel to the occupied West Bank

A delegation of six Canadian MPs and 24 others was denied entry to the occupied West Bank by Israel as they attempted to cross the Jordanian border.

The group was trying to enter the country as part of a trip to Israel and the West Bank sponsored by the non-profit organization Canada-Muslim Vote (TCMV).

Israel’s ambassador to Canada said the group was denied entry because TCMV had connections to Islamic Relief Worldwide, a non-governmental organization banned by Israel as a terrorist organization.

Both Islamic Relief Worldwide and its Canadian affiliate strongly reject this characterization. TCMV also reacted by saying that its funding comes only from qualified donors.

Cogat, the Israeli military agency that oversees the Allenby border crossing, said in a statement to CBC News that the group of 30 people who arrived at the Allenby border crossing on Tuesday “without prior coordination” were not allowed entry for “security reasons.”

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), which included members of its own staff and community leaders in addition to MPs, called the rejection “deeply troubling.”

Five of the six MPs refused entry were from the ruling Liberal Party. These were Fares Al Soud, Iqra Khalid, Aslam Rana, Gurbux Saini and Sameer Zuberi.

The sixth MP was Jenny Kwan from the left-leaning New Democratic Party. Kwan called the situation “completely unacceptable” and rejected the suggestion that lawmakers posed a public safety risk.

NCCM said the purpose of the trip was to “observe conditions on the ground and communicate directly with Palestinian and international stakeholders.”

NCCM CEO Stephen Brown criticized the Israeli government, saying the denial of entry was part of a “broader pattern” of restricting access to “those who wish to independently testify to the facts in the occupied territories.”

Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, told CBC that the denial was due to TCMV’s connections to Islamic Relief Worldwide. “The problem is actually the connection with the terrorist organization,” he said.

A spokesman for Muslim Relief Worldwide called it a “false claim” which it is seeking to challenge in Israeli courts. “Our work in Gaza has been audited by donor governments and global audit firms, and they have all confirmed that our work is purely humanitarian.” they added.

Islamic Aid Canada CEO Tufail Hussain said in a statement to Canadian media: “Allegations that our charitable resources support terrorism are unfounded and dangerous and put aid workers and the aid beneficiaries we serve at risk.”

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed in a statement to X on Tuesday afternoon that the delegation had been denied entry.

He added that his ministry “expressed Canada’s objections to the mistreatment of these Canadians as they attempted to pass.”

A different group of MPs was allowed to travel on a similar trip organized by TCMV in 2024.

Tensions between the Canadian and Israeli governments have increased in recent months after Canada (along with Britain, France and other Western countries) officially recognized the state of Palestine in September.

At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the recognition as “shameful.”

Earlier this year, two MPs from the UK’s ruling Labor Party were also denied entry by Israel after passing through Jordan during a visit organized by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU).

Simon Opher and Peter Prinsley were traveling with a parliamentary delegation in September to see medical and humanitarian work carried out by organizations including Medical Aid to Palestinians.

A UK Foreign Office spokesman said at the time that the incident was “completely unacceptable and deeply worrying”.

Two other Labor MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were previously denied entry to Israel during another visit organized by the same organization in April.