‘Really unfortunate’: Six MPs denied entry to West Bank by Israeli officials

Annie Bergeron-Oliver takes a closer look at 30 members of the Canadian delegation, including six MPs, who were denied entry to the West Bank on Tuesday.

A Canadian delegation, including six members of Parliament, are speaking out after being denied entry into the occupied West Bank by Israeli border agents.

The group of Canadians arrived at the Allenby land crossing from Jordan Tuesday morning, hoping to gain access to the occupied West Bank. Instead, the group’s request to cross into the occupied territory was rejected.

“Once we presented ourselves at the border with Jordan and the West Bank, Israeli authorities held us there for five hours, and after five hours then chose to not give us entry,” said Quebec Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi. “It’s really unfortunate.”

Zuberi was one of six MPs who were travelling to the region as part of a 30-person delegation organized by the Canadian-Muslim Vote, a Canadian registered charity. While in the occupied West Bank, MPs had plans to meet with aid groups, refugees and Jewish, Muslim and Christian individuals.

“It is deeply concerning and challenging to think that we have been refused entry when we are public figures, well on the record, calling for the respect of everyone,” Zuberi said. “Dialogue is important. Diplomacy is important and this today was a wrongful decision on the part of Israeli authorities.”

Taha Ghayyur, executive director of Justice for All Canada, was part of the delegation and says the group was given very little reason for being turned away, calling it unacceptable.

“We were not given any specific particular reasons,” Ghayyur said from Amman, Jordan. “We felt insulted. We felt absolutely rejected for reasons that we have no idea.”

Ghayyur and many other members of the delegation were not only turned away, but asked to sign a document saying they were denied entry because of “public safety” or “public safety risk”

“We were also going to visit various holy sites, given the significance of this current season, and unfortunately, we were denied that transparency, as well as the opportunity to really learn,” he said.

Israel’s embassy in Canada says the delegation was denied entry because of links to Islamic Relief Worldwide, which Israel has listed as a terror entity.

“The organizers are The Canadian-Muslim Vote, which receives the vast majority of its funding from Islamic Relief Canada, a subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide,” said Israeli diplomat Yifah Mivtach Greenvald. “The State of Israel will not allow the entry of organizations and individuals who are associated with designated terror entities.”

Canadian-Muslim Vote, the group who sponsored and organized the trip, said it was “disgusted” by the embassy’s statement.

“We are disgusted, but not surprised, by the smear campaign being put forward by the Israeli government,” said Canadian-Muslim Vote executive director Umair Ashraf.

“We know Canadians will see this for what it is: A rather pathetic attempt by the Israeli government to justify why they blocked Canadian MPs from seeing settlement violence and meeting Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the region.”

B.C. NDP MP Jenny Kwan said Global Affairs Canada was made aware of the trip well in advance and informed the Israeli authorities that the delegation intended to cross into the occupied West Bank.

“I certainly hope that the Canadian government will follow up,” Kwan said from Jordan. “It should come as no surprise that we were coming and why we were all going.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand posted to X Tuesday that Canada has expressed its “objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians while attempting to cross.”

Members of the delegation say their plans in the occupied West Bank have now been cancelled, and members of the group say they do not intend to try and cross the border again.

Ontario Liberal MP Fares Al Soud called it “disappointing” that he won’t get to meet children and families on the ground in the West Bank.

“For all of these things to come together, to not be able to see those holy sites, to not be able to have those conversations with Muslim, Jewish, Christian families and hear their perspectives on what life is like in the region, what life is like with everything that is going on there for them, it is again, frustrating,” he said.