ByMATHILDA HELLER
Updated:

A delegation of 30 Canadians, including six MPs, was denied entrance to the West Bank on Tuesday despite having travel authorization, according to members of the group.

The six MPs were Fares Al Soud (Liberal), Iqra Khalid (Liberal), Jenny Kwan (New Democratic Party), Sameer Zuberi (Liberal), Aslam Rana (Liberal), and Gurbux Saini (Liberal).

The delegation was organized by The Canadian-Muslim Vote, a Canadian registered nonprofit charity organization. They attempted to enter via the Allenby crossing with Jordan. The delegation was set to meet with Palestinian Authority officials and Palestinian refugees, as well as Jewish, Muslim, and Christian advocates.

Some members of the delegation are part of the National Council of Canadian Muslims. The NCCM members reported having to each sign a form declaring they acknowledge they are a threat to public safety, which they declined to do. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories agency claimed that the group arrived “without prior coordination.”

Protesters place Palestinian flags atop the gate of the Canadian representative office during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 28, 2012.
Protesters place Palestinian flags atop the gate of the Canadian representative office during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 28, 2012. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)

Barred despite Israeli authorization

The NCCM released a statement saying that the members of the delegation have now all returned to Jordan and will return to Canada from there.

“This development is deeply troubling and extremely disappointing,” said Stephen Brown, CEO of NCCM. “Israeli authorities had issued electronic travel authorizations to all members of the delegation, yet lawful observers, including elected Canadian officials, were ultimately barred from entry as ‘public safety threats.’”

Brown said the refusal represented a broader pattern by the Israeli government of restricting access to those seeking to independently witness the realities of “the occupied territories.”

Several of the MPs have taken strong anti-Israel stances. In October 2025, Zuberi said those who have served in the IDF should be screened to ensure they have not been involved in any breaches of international law before entering Canada. Rana joined a bill pushing for the end of Canadian weapons to Israel.

All six MPs are also part of the group Vote Palestine, which is focused on putting Palestine on the ballot and organizing people across Canada to “speak up to pressure MPs, political parties, and candidates to endorse the Palestine Platform.”