Jenny Kwan, the NDP MP for Vancouver-East, was one of six members of Parliament denied entry into the occupied West Bank on Tuesday by the Israeli government, on the grounds of 'government, public security, public safety or public order considerations.' Kwan pushed back on the justification of the refusal of entry, calling it 'completely unacceptable.'
Kwan says the delegation had advised the Canadian government of its trip and plans, which in turn communicated the information to Israel.
At no point did we try to hide the information. We were completely forthright, Kwan said in an interview with CBC News's Aarti Patel.
Kwan explained that Canadian members of Parliament are issued special passports and that they were not handed the form with the statement denying them entry — and therefore were not asked to sign it.
Still, she doesn't believe the reasons used by Israel to justify the denial.
I for one reject that notion that civil societies who are doing humanitarian work on the ground [are] a security threat and I also reject the fact that members of Parliament, doing our work, also pose, somehow, a security threat, Kwan said.
Before they attempted to enter, she said the delegation had visited a refugee camp in Jordan and spoken to families there about their experiences in the West Bank.
Kwan said she hasn't yet heard how the Canadian government will react to the news, but said, You have to ask the question: what is it that the Israeli government is trying to hide?
