# Israel turns back Canadian lawmakers seeking entry to the West Bank
On the event date, Israel denied entry to a group of Canadian lawmakers and accompanying delegates who were trying to reach the occupied West Bank from Jordan. Civil society groups said six members of Canada’s Parliament were turned back along with other participants on a trip organised by The Canadian-Muslim Vote.
The evidence packet says the delegation was headed for talks with Palestinian officials and human rights advocates when Israeli border authorities stopped them. The National Council of Canadian Muslims said the MPs were told they were public safety threats, even though electronic travel authorizations had already been issued to them.
The incident took place at Allenby Bridge, where the group reportedly waited for hours before being refused entry. Fawad Kalsi of Penny Appeal Canada said the delegates were denied as a group for security reasons. The Israeli agency that oversees affairs in the occupied territories later told CBC that the group had arrived without prior coordination, though Kalsi said permits had already been granted.
Canadian officials responded cautiously but critically. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Canada’s ministry was in contact with the delegation and had expressed objections to the mistreatment of Canadians trying to cross. The source also says Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Al Jazeera, reflecting the usual lag when a dispute moves quickly.
The political fallout extended beyond the border crossing itself. The National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Canadian-Muslim Vote both argued that the denial raised public-interest questions about access to the occupied territories and the treatment of elected officials. The group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East went further, urging diplomatic sanctions against Israel.
The packet says the Canadian delegation included five Liberal MPs and one New Democratic Party MP, and that one of them, Jenny Kwan, had already said she expected Israel to obstruct the visit. That detail matters because it shows the denial was not entirely unexpected, but it still caused a diplomatic complaint once it happened.
The wider backdrop is the long-running Israeli control over border crossings into the West Bank and the pattern of turning away critics of Israeli policy. The source says Israel routinely blocks foreign citizens it views as hostile to its policies and that the denial comes as Canada faces pressure over its support for Israel during the Gaza war. The result is a familiar but still sensitive conflict over access, observation and political accountability.
