A delegation of 30 Canadians, including six Members of Parliament, was denied entry into Israel early Tuesday at the Allenby border crossing from Jordan. The group included representatives from the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). An NCCM spokesperson told the media that Israeli authorities asked each delegate to sign a form acknowledging they were a threat to public safety. All members of the delegation refused to sign the document. NCCM CEO Stephen Brown, who was not part of the trip, called the decision “deeply troubling and extremely disappointing.”
In a statement, Brown said members of the delegation had received electronic travel authorizations from Israel prior to arriving at the border. “While we are saddened by this outcome, it regrettably aligns with a broader pattern by the Israeli government of restricting access to those seeking to independently witness the realities in the occupied territories,” Brown said. The delegation attempted to enter Israel by land via the Allenby crossing and was participating in a sponsored trip organized by the Canadian Muslim Vote, a registered Canadian non-profit organization.
The MPs had planned meetings with civil society organizations, Palestinian refugees and internally displaced people, as well as officials from the Canadian government and the Palestinian Authority. According to NCCM, meetings were scheduled across several locations, including Jerusalem, Jenin, Hebron and multiple refugee camps. NCCM said all members of the delegation are safe and have returned to Jordan. They plan to continue with scheduled meetings there before returning to Canada.
Ahead of the trip, NDP MP Jenny Kwan — the only New Democrat in the delegation — told CBC News she believed the group could be denied entry due to strained relations between Canada and Israel over the past two years. The remaining MPs in the group are members of the governing Liberal caucus. The incident comes nearly three months after Canada formally recognized a Palestinian state ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a move that drew strong criticism from Israel despite being largely symbolic.
Following Canada’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UNGA that Israel would not accept the recognition of what he described as a “terror state,” also condemning other Western countries, including France and the United Kingdom, that had taken similar steps. In January 2024, a previous delegation of Liberal and NDP MPs was able to enter Israel and visit displaced Palestinians in the occupied West Bank — visits this year’s group had also intended to carry out.
