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Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in a post on social
media that Canada has expressed its "objections regarding the
mistreatment of these Canadians.”
Ontario Member of Parliament Iqra Khalid, from Prime Minister
Mark Carney’s Liberal party, said she was part of the delegation
and was shoved several times by Israeli border officials.
She said she was pushed after trying to check on a member of the
roughly 30-person delegation who was pulled aside for additional
questioning after the group had been at the Allenby border
crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Khalid said the border officials were able to see she was a
lawmaker as they had taken her special passport, which looks
different from a standard Canadian document.
The Israeli Embassy statement said Israel "will not allow the
entry of organizations and individuals who are associated with
designated terror entities.”
The delegation, sponsored by the group The Canadian-Muslim Vote,
had planned to meet with displaced Palestinians in the West
Bank, where the Israeli government recently approved the
construction of 764 new homes in Jewish settlements.
The Israeli statement said The Canadian-Muslim Vote receives the
vast majority of its funding from Islamic Relief Canada, a
subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide that is listed as a
terror entity by Israel.
In Ottawa, the National Council of Canadian Muslims said the
Israeli government’s refusal to allow Canadian parliamentarians
into the country raises serious concerns about transparency and
accountability.
British Columbia New Democrat Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan
said the entire delegation had electronic travel authorizations
to enter the West Bank but they were revoked “on the day of our
arrival.”
In September, Canada joined several other countries in
recognizing a Palestinian state, a significant shift in its
policy and a move that came despite opposition from the United
States. At the time, Canada said it hopes the recognition paves
the way for peace based on two states living side by side.
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