Canadian lawmakers denied entry to the occupied West Bank joined politicians and civil society leaders in rejecting Israeli claims that the delegation posed a threat to public safety.
Jenny Kwan, a Canadian member of parliament from the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP), questioned whether Canada’s recognition of an independent Palestinian state earlier this year contributed to Israel’s decision to block the organization.
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“Why would a member of Congress be concerned about public safety?” she said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “Why are civil society organizations doing humanitarian work… [are] Are there any security concerns? ”
Kwan and five other MPs were among 30 Canadian representatives who were refused entry to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday because Israel deemed them a threat to public safety.
The delegation, organized by the non-profit Canadian Muslim Vote, was returned to Jordan after several hours of security checks at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing, which connects Jordan and the West Bank and is controlled by Israel on the Palestinian side.
Kwan said another female member of the group was “manhandled” by Israeli border officials while trying to monitor a representative who was taken away for further questioning.
“She was shoved there by border officials not once, not twice, but many times,” Kwan said. “A member of Congress was treated like that. If you were a normal person, what else would have happened?”
The delegates were scheduled to meet with members of the Palestinian community to discuss the daily realities of the West Bank, where residents are facing a surge in Israeli military and settler violence.
They also planned to meet with Jewish families affected by the conflict, Kwan said, explaining that the three-day trip was a fact-finding mission.
“I reject the idea that it’s a public safety concern,” she said of the delegation’s mission.
Lack of information
Canada’s foreign ministry, Global Affairs, did not respond to Al Jazeera’s questions about the incident.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday afternoon that her ministry had contacted the delegation and “expressed Canada’s opposition to the mistreatment of Canadians during their attempted crossing.”
The Israeli military did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Al Jazeera.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency that oversees affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement to Canadian public broadcaster CBC News that the Canadian delegation was turned away because it arrived “without prior coordination.”
COGAT also said that members of the group were “rejected for security reasons.”
However, the participants said they had applied for and received Israeli Electronic Travel Authorization permits before arriving at the crossing. Kwan also said the Canadian government informed Israel of the delegation’s plans in advance.
“I’m not sure exactly what adjustments need to be made,” Kwan told Al Jazeera.
“We went through all the steps that we were supposed to follow, so we don’t know exactly what they mean or what they refer to.”
Canada-Israel relations
Canada, a longtime supporter of Israel, faced the wrath of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after it joined several European allies in recognizing an independent Palestinian state in September.
“Israel will not allow a terrorist state to be forced down our throats,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The recognition comes after months of mass protests in Canada and other Western countries calling for an end to Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where more than 70,000 people have been killed since October 2023.
Rights advocates also called for action to halt a surge in deadly Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Against this backdrop, members of the Canadian delegation questioned whether the denial of entry was part of Israel’s efforts to prevent people from witnessing what was happening on the ground in the Palestinian territories.
The question that comes to mind is, ‘What are they trying to hide?'” Fawad Kalsi, CEO of relief group Penny Appeal Canada and a member of the delegation, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
Canadian Rep. Kwan raised a similar question, saying that “if people can’t witness” what is happening on the ground in the West Bank, “misinformation and disinformation will continue.”
He added that he witnessed foreign doctors being turned away back to Jordan at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing after trying to bring medicines and baby formula into the West Bank.
“If we, as members of Congress, could face entry denials, imagine what is happening to other people on the ground that we don’t know about and the hardships they are facing,” she said.
