'Completely unacceptable,' MP says after Israel blocks Canadian delegation from entering West Bank

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Canadian delegation, including 6 MPs, denied entry to occupied West Bank

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Vancouver MP Jenny Kwan, the sole NDP MP on the trip, has just released a statement, confirming the entire delegation was denied entry to the occupied West Bank on the basis of "public security, public safety or public order considerations."

"I categorically reject the assertion that elected officials and civil society organizations engaging in humanitarian and fact-finding work pose any risk to public safety, security, or public order," she writes.

The Canadian government had informed Israel of the planned travel, she said, and all arrangements and documentation were completed in advance of the trip.

"The denial of entry to elected parliamentarians and civil society organizations engaged in peaceful, transparent parliamentary activity raises serious concerns regarding the openness of channels for dialogue," the statement said.

"The use of security and public order narratives to limit legitimate fact-finding work is completely unacceptable."

Canadian beaten during attack in West Bank

A Canadian was among four international volunteers who were beaten and had their passports stolen during an attack in the West Bank. The activists were part of a group trying to help Palestinians during a rise in settler violence.

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 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.

Hi it's Raffy Boudjikanian, senior reporter with the Parliamentary Bureau, reporting from Jerusalem for a spell.

I've just spoken with Stephen Brown, the CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), following the delegation's entry into the occupied West Bank — and subsequently Israel — being denied.

As he said earlier in a written statement, Brown called the rejection an outrage.

He also said it was foreseeable that the government of Israel would not want observers on the West Bank.

I spoke to him from his home in Montreal. Brown was part of a similar delegation, with a different group of Liberal and NDP MPs, in January 2024. It, too, took part in sponsored travel by the registered non-profit charity group, the Canadian Muslim Vote.

Brown said at the time, nobody was required to fill out any forms, and everyone was able to get in.

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, there is a line that says you will still be subject to control at the border.

Canada's ethics commissioner publishes a registry of elected officials' sponsored foreign trips. The registry shows MPs have taken about 25 trips to Israel sponsored by various groups between 2011 and November 2023.

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather is listed as having taken three such trips.

"Following checks conducted by the security authorities in co-ordination with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Population and Immigration Authority, their entry into the Judea and Samaria area was denied for security reasons," the statement said.

The Israeli government uses the ancient Biblical names Judea and Samaria to refer to the occupied West Bank.

As we've mentioned, Raffy spoke with both Zuberi and Kwan 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 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.

In mid-October, the United Nations estimated 1,001 Palestinians 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 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 continues to allow settlements in the West Bank to expand, despite increased violence in recent years.

My colleague Raffy Boudjikanian reported ahead of the trip 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 that Canada sanctioned earlier this year, called the expansion a "clear, strategic move to strengthen settlement and ensure continuity of life, security and growth."

The delegation tried to enter the West Bank by land from the Allenby crossing in Jordan. The bridge crossing is the only one between Jordan and the West Bank and is controlled by Israel's Airports Authority. According to the Israeli government, Israelis are not allowed to cross.

Israel reopened the crossing last week after closing it to aid and goods in September. The closure was in response to an incident in which a driver bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel before being killed by security forces, Reuters reported. The crossing reopened to passenger traffic shortly after the attack, but had remained closed to aid trucks.

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