Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentTerry Newman: Israel expressed concern about 'Nakba' exhibit. Carney didn't even bother respondingAmbassador Iddo Moed sent a formal letter to the prime minister and never received a responseLast updated Jun 26, 2026 You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at Holy Blossom Temple synagogue in Toronto on Monday June 1, 2026. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/PostmediaThe National Post has learned that Prime Minister Mark Carney has not responded to a letter sent more than a week ago by Israel’s ambassador to Canada, outlining his concerns about the Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ “Nakba” exhibit, which is slated to open on Saturday.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorAmbassador Iddo Moed said he wrote the letter because he was “greatly concerned” following the publication of several reports about the upcoming exhibit.“It’s my opinion that this exhibit establishes a narrative that delegitimizes the existence of the State of Israel and takes place at a museum that is funded by the federal government,” he said. Moed also said that he “shares the Jewish community’s concerns that they have not been consulted.”This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIn the letter, the ambassador tells the prime minister that he is writing with a “profound sense of urgency” about the upcoming exhibit, and urges Carney and his government “to intervene to prevent this exhibition from proceeding.” Moed outlined several reasons why he feels this is necessary.He begins by saying that the exhibit advances a narrative that is “highly contested” and “presents the establishment of the State of Israel primarily through a twisted lens of Palestinian dispossession while disregarding essential historical realities.” This, he suggests, “risks transforming a national institution dedicated to human rights education into a vehicle for political advocacy and social intolerance.”He goes on to say that the “Nakba” narrative “omits or minimizes fundamental historical facts, including the Jewish people’s ancient and continuous connection to the Land of Israel, the international legal foundations of Israel’s creation, the rejection of partition by Arab states and leaders in 1947 and their initiation of the broader regional conflict that accompanied Israel’s birth.”Moed points out that former prime minister Lester B. Pearson, who was serving as deputy minister of external affairs when the partition debate was taking place in 1947, was familiar with the “Nakba” narrative, but that did not prevent him from saying outright that a Jewish “national home” was “a sine qua non of any settlement.”Moed then writes that Pearson’s actions “countered the narrative of a distorted account that depicted Jewish national self-determination as colonial oppression and portrayed Israel’s existence as a historical wrong requiring redress.”The ambassador pointed out that, “Narratives that delegitimize Israel often serve as the entry point for hostility toward Jewish communities around the world. In Canada, where antisemitic incidents have reached unprecedented levels since Oct. 7, 2023, public institutions should exercise particular caution before endorsing or amplifying narratives that contribute to polarization, resentment and hostility.”He then reminded Carney of his own speech on antisemitism given at the beginning of this month, writing, “You spoke candidly about the crisis confronting Jewish-Canadians.… Yet the relationship between contemporary antisemitism and the demonization of Israel must also be acknowledged.”He continued: “Antisemitism today often manifests not through traditional stereotypes alone but through efforts to deny the legitimacy of the world’s only Jewish state and to portray its existence as uniquely illegitimate. When such narratives are presented under the imprimatur of a national museum, they acquire a credibility and authority that further legitimizes prejudice rather than combats it.”Before respectfully urging his government to review the exhibition and its opening, Moed reminded Carney of Canada’s broken civic compact that was already failing its Jewish population: “At a moment when Canada is struggling to confront rising antisemitism, the government should be especially vigilant in ensuring that federally supported institutions do not inadvertently fuel the very prejudice they seek to combat.”The ambassador’s concerns appear to be warranted. When contacted by the Post in November, the museum’s spokesperson, Amanda Gaudes, did not seem to share the concerns voiced by many Jewish groups that presenting stories and narratives without balancing them with historical facts would not serve the public interest.Gaudes told the Post that the exhibit would focus on the “lived experiences of Palestinian-Canadians,” and would be “neither a historical retrospective nor an examination of the founding of the State of Israel or current Israel-Palestine relations.”In March, the Post revealed that a 2023 list of members of the committee being consulted on the exhibit was comprised of hard-line anti-Zionist activists, with one member who had publicly referred to Zionism as “a disease that must be destroyed.”And just last week, leaked emails revealed a secret meeting between Mona Abuamara, the Palestinian representative to Canada at the time, and museum staff concerning the exhibit. While this meeting may not rise to the level of foreign interference, co-ordinating with a foreign government’s representative on content for a taxpayer-funded exhibit designed by a Crown corporation raises numerous ethical concerns.And by not providing multiple perspectives that are presented fairly and impartially, and making any biases clearly known to the public, the museum may be in violation of ethics guidelines from the Canadian Museums Association.The Post reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office for an answer as to why Carney had not responded to the letter from the Israeli ambassador in over a week. The PMO did not answer the question, instead stating: “Our government remains firmly committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive society by building bridges, strengthening mutual understanding and combating all forms of hate.“As the minister for Canadian identity and culture has previously referenced, programming decisions are made independently by the museum. As such, questions on this matter should be directed to the museum.”The lack of response by the prime minister suggests he doesn’t take the matter seriously. One can only assume that Carney doesn’t believe that the exhibition will promote a biased, delegitimizing view of Israel that risks fuelling antisemitism in Canada. Either that, or he didn’t really mean what he said in his speech earlier this month.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.