The LatestA delegation of 30 Canadians, including six members of Parliament, was denied entry into the occupied West Bank early today.The move came after each delegate was asked to sign a form declaring they acknowledge they are a threat to public safety, which they declined to do, according to a spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims.The group is on a sponsored travel trip organized by a Canadian registered non-profit charity organization, the Canadian Muslim Vote.The goal of the three-day trip was to meet with displaced Palestinians, with stops in the West Bank and Israel.
Canada had advised Israel about delegation trip: Kwan
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Jenny Kwan, the NDP MP for Vancouver-East, was one of six members of Parliament denied entry into the occupied West Bank on Tuesday by the Israeli government, on the grounds of ‘government, public security, public safety or public order considerations.’ Kwan pushed back on the justification of the refusal of entry, calling it ‘completely unacceptable.’
Kwan says the delegation had advised the Canadian government of its trip and plans, which in turn communicated the information to Israel.
At no point did we try to hide the information. We were completely forthright, Kwan said in an interview with CBC News’s Aarti Patel.
Kwan explained that Canadian members of Parliament are issued special passports and that they were not handed the form with the statement denying them entry — and therefore were not asked to sign it.
Still, she doesn’t believe the reasons used by Israel to justify the denial.
I for one reject that notion that civil societies who are doing humanitarian work on the ground [are] a security threat and I also reject the fact that members of Parliament, doing our work, also pose, somehow, a security threat, Kwan said.
Before they attempted to enter, she said the delegation had visited a refugee camp in Jordan and spoken to families there about their experiences in the West Bank.
Kwan said she hasn’t yet heard how the Canadian government will react to the news, but said, You have to ask the question: what is it that the Israeli government is trying to hide?
Canadian activist recounts being beaten by settlers in West Bank
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Late last month, a Canadian woman from British Columbia was injured after she said she was beaten by settlers in the West Bank.
The woman, whose identity CBC agreed to conceal due to fears of being targeted or deported, was part of a group of activists working with a Palestinian group that allows foreigners to stay in communities within the West Bank where settler violence has been reported, my colleague Sara Jabakhanji wrote (new window).
The woman said 10 masked settlers knocked on her door early one morning and attacked her and three other people.
She says she was kicked multiple times in the face, ribs, abdomen and in her hip and thigh area. She said another activist was beaten more severely and kicked repeatedly in the groin area.
MPs had electronic travel authorizations to enter Israel, group says
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is decrying Israel’s refusal to allow the MPs to enter the West Bank, saying it raises concerns about the ability of elected officials to carry out fact-finding missions.
In its statement, Israel’s COGAT agency said the group arrived without prior co-ordination, though it’s unclear what type of co-ordination beyond authorization paperwork would have been necessary.
Stephen Brown, the CEO of NCCM, told my colleague Raffy Boudjikanian that everyone in the group had received electronic travel authorizations necessary to enter Israel.
There’s no reason they should have been denied entry at the border, Brown said.
It’s foreseeable that the Government of Israel does not want the world to see what is happening with the illegal settlements in the West Bank.
It’s worth mentioning that even with those digital authorizations, visitors are not guaranteed entry into Israel. As Raffy notes, when you apply for those visas (new window), there is a line that says you will still be subject to control at the border.
Immigration, diplomacy part of trip’s aims
NDP MP Jenny Kwan speaks at a news conference in Ottawa on Sept. 4. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Photo: (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
As we’ve mentioned, Raffy spoke with both Zuberi and Kwan (new window) ahead of the trip.
Zuberi said his hope for the trip was that it would be part of a diplomatic push for peace.
I think being present helps; it does calm the situation because when you have internationals present, local actors will be on their best behaviour, or better behaviour, he said.
Kwan said she was hoping to learn from locals and Canadian officials about both the hiccups in a special measures immigration program for Palestinians trying to flee Gaza, as well as gather information for a private member’s bill (new window) she has in the works that would prevent Canadian arms companies from shipping parts and ammunition to the United States largely free of any permits.
1,001 Palestinians killed in West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023: UN
A man walks past a vehicle burned during an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of al-Jab’a, near Bethlehem, on Nov. 18. (Leo Correa/The Associated Press)
Photo: (Leo Correa/The Associated Press)
In mid-October, the United Nations estimated 1,001 Palestinians (new window) have been killed by extremist settlers or Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza two years ago.
The UN has also recently reported (new window) its concerns about 100 hectares of Palestinian land being seized in order to create a new settler road, noting more than 1,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced within the West Bank in 2025.
Israel approved more settlement homes last week
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, left, stands at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Oct. 13. He is one of two Israeli cabinet members that Canada sanctioned earlier this year. (Chip Somodevilla/AFP/Getty Images)
Photo: (Chip Somodevilla/AFP/Getty Images)
Israel continues to allow settlements in the West Bank to expand, despite increased violence (new window) in recent years.
My colleague Raffy Boudjikanian reported ahead of the trip (new window) yesterday that just last week, the Israeli government approved the construction of 764 more homes on the West Bank in settler colonies, largely deemed illegal under international law.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of two Israeli cabinet members (new window) that Canada sanctioned earlier this year, called the expansion a clear, strategic move to strengthen settlement and ensure continuity of life, security and growth.
Delegation planned to visit West Bank
A general view of the Israeli settlement of Alon Moreh, east of the city of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank is shown on Saturday. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
The trip was sponsored by Canadian Muslim Vote, a registered non-profit, and the MPs planned to visit the Israeli-occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian families about their experiences with Israeli settlers, as well as Palestinian Authority officials to speak about democratic reform.
A similar trip was organized in early 2024 with a different group of Liberal and NDP MPs, but tensions have risen between Ottawa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government since then.
Three months ago, the Canadian government formally recognized a Palestinian state (new window), a symbolic gesture that angered Israel.
Netanyahu accused Australia of fuelling antisemitism (new window), in part because of its own recognition of a Palestinian state, in the wake of this weekend’s deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
Who are the 6 MPs?
A delegation of 30 Canadians, including six Members of Parliament, has been denied entry into Israel after trying to enter at the Allenby border crossing in Jordan.
Photo: CBC
The six MPs in the delegation are Liberal MPs Fares Al Soud, Iqra Khalid, Aslam Rana, Gurbux Saini and Sameer Zuberi, and NDP MP Jenny Kwan.
Our colleague Raffy Boudjikanian spoke to two of the MPs ahead of the trip. Zuberi said he didn’t anticipate a problem with them getting in, as Canadian parliamentarians.
But Kwan told CBC News she suspected the travelling group could be denied entry because of the deteriorating relationship between the Canadian government and Israel over the last two years.