The Israeli ambassador to Canada has suggested that a group of diplomats, including Canadians, touring a city in the West Bank may have been led away from their approved route to provoke the Israeli soldiers who fired shots near the group earlier this week.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired shots near the group, including four Canadians, during a guided tour of the city of Jenin in the West Bank on May 21, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand. No one was injured in the incident, the IDF said.
The IDF said the group had “deviated” from an approved route and warning shots were fired to prevent the delegation from entering an area that was off-limits.
The Israeli ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, has said it could have been a situation where the soldiers were provoked.
“There was a barrier, a very clear barrier. So what was the idea to walk into that barrier, unless you want to try and provoke something,” Moed said during an interview with the CBC.
He added that he didn’t “want to speculate.”
“They were led by Palestinian Authority people, because that was the whole idea, and that was what was coordinated with the Israeli authorities. They went. They deviated from that line where they were supposed to go a street and a half and then turn right.”
Anand said she summoned Moed to explain the situation. He met with senior officials from the foreign affairs ministry on May 21.
Moed said that Israel has launched an inquiry and would be keeping Canadian officials informed throughout the process.
“Well, [Israel] just made public exactly what we’ve done. We continue to publish information about the inquiry as it progresses, and so in my perspective there is no need for this formal act but that’s the choice of the Canadian government,” he said.
He also said he has open lines of communication with the Canadian government. However, he said he would not discuss what happened in closed-door meetings.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the incident “totally unacceptable” during an unrelated news conference on May 21.
Carney also said it was the responsibility of the Israeli ambassador and the country’s government to “provide an explanation for this.”
France and Italy’s foreign ministers also summoned their respective Israeli ambassadors.
A video of the West Bank incident shows some individuals from the diplomatic group speaking to cameras near a large yellow gate. Gunshots are heard as the group moves away from the gate and around a street corner.
The IDF said it “regrets the inconvenience” that was caused by the incident.
The incident came just days after Canada, the UK, and France penned a letter saying the countries would impose “targeted sanctions” on Israel, citing its military action in Gaza.
The countries also called on Hamas to “immediately” release hostages it has held since the terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the letter was “a huge prize” to Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack. He also said it would invite “more such atrocities.”
In its response to the joint letter, Hamas said it was “a significant step in the right direction.”
Hamas is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada.
