Canada summons Israeli ambassador over shots fired towards four Canadian diplomats

OTTAWA — The federal government has summoned Israel’s ambassador to Canada to explain why Israeli soldiers shot in the vicinity of a delegation of diplomats — including four Canadian representatives — touring the West Bank Wednesday. “I spoke with Canada’s Head of Mission in Ramallah earlier today. I can confirm 4 of our personnel were part of the delegation in West Bank when the IDF fired shots in their vicinity. Relieved to know our team is safe,” Foreign Minister Anita Anand wrote on social media Wednesday afternoon. “I have asked my officials to summon Israel’s Ambassador to convey Canada’s serious concerns. We expect a full investigation and accountability,” her statement continued. On Wednesday morning, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that its soldiers had fired “warning shots” towards a delegation of individuals whom it claimed had strayed away from a pre-authorized route. But the group was a diplomatic delegation with representatives from over a dozen countries including Canada, France, Italy, Germany and the European Union. The incident sparked widespread condemnation. Videos of the incident circulating online show a delegation of dozens of foreign diplomats as well as West Bank and United Nations officials standing on a road blocked off by a large yellow gate in the West Bank city of Jenin Wednesday morning. The video shows IDF soldiers suddenly firing their weapons in the vicinity of the group, which quickly dispersed back towards diplomatic and armoured vehicles parked around the corner. The tour was organized by the Palestinian Authority and was authorized by Israel, according to foreign media reports. There were four Canadian representatives among the delegation, including the head of mission in Ramallah Graham Dattels. In a statement, the IDF said it “regrets the inconvenience caused” by the incident and said it launched an inquiry after realizing that its soldiers had fired towards a diplomatic delegation. “According to an initial inquiry, the delegation deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorized to be. IDF soldiers operating in the area fired warning shots to distance them away. No injuries or damages were reported,” t he IDF wrote on social media . The claim that the delegation was in an unauthorized area is being met with skepticism within the Canadian government. Representatives from France, Germany and Italy also expressed their outrage at the shots towards their diplomats and called on the Israeli government to explain itself. “A visit to Jenin, in which one of our diplomats was participating, was fired upon by Israeli soldiers. This is unacceptable. The Israeli ambassador will be summoned to explain himself,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in a statement. The German Foreign Office “strongly” condemned the “unprovoked fire” and noted that it was lucky that “nothing more serious occurred.” “The group was travelling in the West Bank in the course of its diplomatic work and in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army. The role of diplomats as independent observers on the ground is indispensable and in no way represents a threat to Israeli security interests,” read the statement. The incident comes amid increasing pressure from countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and France for Israel to stop expanding its military operations in Gaza and restricting humanitarian aid into the territory. The three countries released a joint statement on Monday threatening action against Israel if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not stop its military actions in Gaza. In their statement, Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron cited the “intolerable suffering” unfolding in Gaza, calling the announcement Israel made the day before to allow basic quantities of food into the area “wholly inadequate.” They demanded Israel’s government halt its military operations and for Hamas to release the remaining hostages taken captive when terrorists stormed into southern Israel in October 2023. Tuesday, Israel’s ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed told National Post his country is “quite taken aback” by Canada’s threat. “This is unprecedented,” Moed said. “This has never happened in the past and so this is why we are taken aback. That’s an understatement, I would say.” National Post, with files from Stephanie Taylor. cnardi@postmedia.com

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