Israeli authorities on Tuesday barred six Canadian lawmakers from entering the occupied West Bank as they traveled from Jordan, a move that drew criticism over Israel’s increasing restrictions on foreign delegations seeking to engage with Palestinians.
Jenny Kwan, an opposition lawmaker with Canada's left-wing New Democratic Party, told AFP that one MP, Iqra Khalid of Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party, was "pushed multiple times" by an Israeli border officer.
The lawmakers were on a trip sponsored by Canadian-Muslim Vote, a charity group.
Israel's embassy in Canada told AFP in a statement that the charity receives funding from Islamic Relief Canada, a subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), which has been "listed as a terror entity by the State of Israel."
IRW has rejected Israel's long-standing charge that it is a terrorist group with ties to Hamas.
