Israel blocks Canadian MPs from entering West Bank over NGO ‘terror links’ claim

Six Canadian MPs and two dozen community leaders have been refused entry to the occupied West Bank by Israeli authorities, deepening tensions between Ottawa and Tel Aviv.

The 30-member delegation, travelling from Jordan, was attempting to cross via the Allenby Bridge on a visit organised by Canadian non-profit The Canadian-Muslim Vote (TCMV).

Israel’s ambassador to Canada said the group was turned back because of what he described as TCMV’s links to Islamic Relief Worldwide — an organisation Israel has designated a terrorist group. TCMV insists its funding comes only from approved donors, while Islamic Relief Canada has strongly rejected Israel’s characterisation.

In a statement to CBC News, Israel’s military liaison body COGAT said the delegation was denied entry “for security reasons”, adding that the group had arrived “without prior co-ordination”.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), whose staff and community leaders were part of the delegation, called the move “deeply troubling”. It said the purpose of the trip was to “observe conditions on the ground and engage directly with Palestinian and international stakeholders”.

Five of the MPs are from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s governing Liberal Party — Fares Al Soud, Iqra Khalid, Aslam Rana, Gurbux Saini and Sameer Zuberi. The sixth, Jenny Kwan of the New Democratic Party, branded the decision “completely unacceptable” and dismissed any suggestion the lawmakers posed a security threat.

Stephen Brown, NCCM’s chief executive, accused the Israeli authorities of seeking to limit access for those wanting to see the situation in the occupied territories first-hand, describing the incident as part of a “broader pattern”.

Islamic Relief Canada’s CEO, Tufail Hussain, said allegations that the charity’s resources support terrorism were “baseless and dangerous”, warning they put aid workers and beneficiaries at risk.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Anita Anand, confirmed the delegation had been refused entry and said Ottawa had “expressed Canada’s objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians while attempting to cross”. A similar TCMV-organised parliamentary visit was allowed in 2024.

Relations between Canada and Israel have grown increasingly strained since September, when Canada joined the UK, France and other Western states in formally recognising a Palestinian state — a move Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned as “disgraceful”.

The episode echoes recent cases involving British MPs. Earlier this year, two UK Labour MPs, Simon Opher and Peter Prinsley, were denied entry by Israel on a fact-finding visit organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding. Two other Labour MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were blocked on a separate trip in April. The UK Foreign Office described those incidents as “totally unacceptable and deeply concerning”.