Israel denies entry to Canadian MPs trying to reach occupied West Bank

Advocacy radical urges sanctions connected Israel aft Canadian delegation, including six lawmakers, turned backmost to Jordan.

Israel has denied introduction to a radical of Canadian lawmakers who were seeking to scope the occupied West Bank to clasp talks with Palestinian officials and quality rights advocates, Canadian civilian nine groups say.

Six members of Canada’s Parliament were trying to scope the West Bank from neighbouring Jordan erstwhile the Israeli authorities turned them back, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said successful a connection connected Tuesday.

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NCCM said the MPs – who were travelling alongside Canadian assemblage leaders arsenic portion of a travel organised by The Canadian Muslim Vote, a nonprofit radical – were told they were considered “public information threats”.

“This improvement is profoundly troubling and highly disappointing,” NCCM CEO Stephen Brown said successful the statement.

“Israeli authorities had issued physics question authorizations to each members of the delegation, yet lawful observers, including elected Canadian officials, were yet barred from introduction arsenic ‘public information threats’,” helium said.

“While we are saddened by this outcome, it regrettably aligns with a broader signifier by the Israeli authorities of restricting entree to those seeking to independently witnesser the realities successful the occupied territories.”

In a connection connected societal media, the Canadian Muslim Vote said “the inability of Canadian elected officials and observers to entree the portion is simply a substance of nationalist involvement and raises important questions for Canadians.”

The Israeli Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs did not respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for remark connected Tuesday.

The Canadian Global Affairs ministry besides did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Israel maintains power implicit each the crossings into the occupied West Bank and routinely turns distant overseas citizens it views arsenic captious of Israeli policies and quality rights abuses against Palestinians.

The Canadian delegation included six parliamentarians, according to a study from Canada’s nationalist broadcaster: 5 from Canada’s governing Liberal Party and 1 from the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP).

The NDP MP, Jenny Kwan, told CBC News earlier this week that she expected Israel to obstruct the delegation’s visit. “At immoderate juncture, thing could happen,” Kwan said.

Call for sanctions

Canada has been a staunch state of Israel for decades.

But the Canadian authorities has faced sustained calls to chopped disconnected its longstanding enactment for the state amid Israel’s genocidal warfare against Palestinians successful the Gaza Strip, which has killed much than 70,000 radical since October 2023.

The West Bank besides has seen a surge successful Israeli subject and settler unit successful the shadiness of Israel’s warfare connected Gaza, with tens of thousands of Palestinians forced from their homes implicit the past year.

On Tuesday, advocacy radical Canadians for Justice and Peace successful the Middle East (CJPME) condemned Israel’s determination to artifact the Canadian delegation.

The radical called connected Canada to enforce diplomatic sanctions against the Israeli authorities and expel the country’s ambassador successful response.

“Israel is an illegitimate occupying powerfulness successful Palestine, and simply does not person the close to barroom introduction to Canadian lawmakers into the country,” the group’s president, Yara Shoufani, said successful a statement.

Shoufani noted that the introduction denial comes conscionable months aft Canada, on with respective of its European allies, announced plans to recognise an autarkic Palestinian state.

“Just months aft Canada recognized Palestinian statehood, Israel is demonstrating its apartheid regularisation implicit Palestine and cardinal denial of Palestinian self-determination. Canada indispensable enforce consequences connected Israel successful effect to this large usurpation of diplomacy,” she said.