OTTAWA – Two MPs from a delegation that was denied access to the West Bank earlier this week are asking Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand to get Israel to explain the harsh treatment of one of their colleagues.
Several witnesses told The Canadian Press they saw Israeli border officials push Ontario Liberal MP Iqra Khalid while the approximately 30-person delegation was held up at the Allenby Crossing for several hours on Tuesday.
In a letter sent to Anand late Thursday, NDP MP Jenny Kwan and Liberal MP Gurbux Saini — also members of the delegation — called that behaviour “an egregious violation of personal dignity and basic diplomatic norms.”
The MPs also attached a copy of a form they allege some delegation members were pushed to sign under duress.
The document, printed on State of Israel letterhead, asks subjects to acknowledge “public security or public safety or public order considerations” as the reason for their denied entry.
Kwan and Saini said they want Anand to find out what the ramifications are for anyone who signed the document and if they will have trouble entering Israel or other nations as a result.
“The physical mistreatment of a Canadian MP, the arbitrary denial of entry to an entire delegation, and the imposition of stigmatizing security declarations are not minor diplomatic irritants,” the MPs wrote.
“They are serious affronts to Canada’s sovereignty, to the dignity of our elected representatives, and to the expectation that allies engage one another in good faith.”
The letter asks Anand to summon Israel’s ambassador to explain why the group was mistreated and denied entry, and requests a written explanation from the government of Israel for the denial.
A spokeswoman for Anand’s office said in a media statement Friday that Global Affairs Canada summoned the Israeli ambassador “immediately upon hearing of the issue” on Tuesday.
“The well-being and safety of Canadians is always Minister Anand’s top priority,” said press secretary Myah Tomasi.
“Canada continues to work alongside international partners to ensure that Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security.”
The MPs are also looking for assurances that Canadian elected officials and citizens won’t face intimidation or physical force in future interactions with Israeli officials.
Khalid told The Canadian Press the shoving incident occurred when she tried to stand near a member of the delegation who was being surrounded by border officers during questioning.
The delegation, sponsored by 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.
Israel’s embassy in Canada says the group was denied entry because of CMV’s links to Islamic Relief Worldwide, which the Israeli government listed as a terrorist entity in 2014.
“The organizers are The Canadian-Muslim Vote, which receives the vast majority of its funding from Islamic Relief Canada, a subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide. IRW was listed as a terror entity by the State of Israel,” the Israeli embassy statement said.
“The State of Israel will not allow the entry of organizations and individuals who are associated with designated terror entities.”
Israeli Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed acknowledged the need to “get to the bottom of this specific incident” in an interview with The Canadian Press earlier this week. He also said he had only heard about the dispute from media reports.
With files from David Baxter
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