Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Blocked from Canada Ahead of Côte Saint-Luc Appearance

By Howie Silbiger

A Palestinian organization recognized by the US government as operating as a front for terrorist groups Samidoun and The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has emerged as potentially part of Canada’s decision to prevent Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Arieh King from entering the country.

King was supposed to be in Côte Saint-Luc Saturday morning, where he was scheduled to address members of Congregation Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem (TBDJ) following Shabbos services. His appearance remained listed in the synagogue’s August 29 weekly bulletin, but at the beginning of his sermon Rabbi Zolly Claman told congregants that King had not been allowed into Canada.

Meir Weinstein, chairman of Israel Now!, which was bringing King to Canada for a series of appearances, says the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, better known as Masar Badil, lobbied the federal government to keep King out. Masar Badil subsequently praised the campaign that resulted in King being prevented from entering Canada. The Canadian government has not said whether the organization, or any of the groups campaigning against King, had any influence on its decision.

King had been scheduled to visit Toronto and Montreal as part of a North American fundraising tour connected to the Israel Land Fund, an organization he founded. His Canadian itinerary included Toronto on August 25 and 26, followed by several days in Montreal through August 30.

According to the Jerusalem Post, King was informed on August 21 that Canadian authorities had cancelled his electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), four days before he was scheduled to speak at an Israel Now! fundraising event in Toronto. Unable to attend in person, he appeared at the event remotely. King told the newspaper that Canadian authorities gave him no explanation for the decision and did not tell him how long the ban would remain in effect. He said Israel’s ambassador in Ottawa also approached the Canadian government seeking an explanation but did not receive one.

Weinstein was among the first to publicly disclose that King would not be entering Canada, posting that the Canadian government had deactivated the Jerusalem deputy mayor’s travel authorization “with no explanation.” Weinstein has since turned his attention to Masar Badil, accusing the federal government of listening to an organization he says had lobbied to prevent King from entering the country.

Masar Badil is not currently listed as a terrorist entity under Canada’s Criminal Code. The situation became considerably more complicated, however, on August 26 when the United States Department of the Treasury designated the organization under American counterterrorism authorities.

The United States Treasury described Masar Badil as a transnational organization that “operates as a front” for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organization in both Canada and the United States. The American government also sanctioned two Masar Badil leaders and said the organization was owned, controlled or directed by, or acting on behalf of, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.

Canada listed the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun) as a terrorist entity in October 2024. Public Safety Canada says Samidoun has close links with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, promotes the interests of listed terrorist groups and advocates activities that include violence. The federal government says Samidoun’s leadership includes reported current and former members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Masar Badil itself has longstanding links with Samidoun. The Anti-Defamation League has documented shared leadership between the two organizations, joint events and Masar Badil appearances featuring members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other designated terrorist organizations. The group has also held events in Canada, including a 2023 conference in Ottawa.

Following King being barred from Canada, Masar Badil praised what it described as the popular campaign that prevented him from entering the country.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has declined to explain its decision. In response to questions from the Jerusalem Post, the department cited privacy laws and said everyone seeking to enter Canada must meet the eligibility and admissibility requirements contained in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. It added that decisions involving travel documents are made independently by immigration officers on a case-by-case basis.

Masar Badil was not the only organization seeking to keep King out of Canada. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) launched a campaign on August 20 calling on Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to prevent King from entering the country. The organization accused King of helping dispossess Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem, cited inflammatory statements he has made about Palestinians and called for him to be declared inadmissible to Canada.

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) and the Legal Centre for Palestine (LCP) also submitted what they described as an inadmissibility submission to Canadian authorities. Following the cancellation, the organizations took credit for the decision, saying their submission provided Canadian officials with grounds to believe King had been involved in serious criminality and crimes against humanity.

Their allegations focus largely on King’s political activities and his work with the Israel Land Fund, including efforts to expand Jewish ownership of property in eastern Jerusalem. His opponents characterize those activities as the forcible displacement of Palestinians, while King and his supporters maintain that the fund legally purchases property and assists Jews seeking to buy or reclaim property in areas with historic Jewish ownership.

The Legal Centre for Palestine and the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a complaint with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) War Crimes Section asking police to investigate King while he was expected to be in Canada. That complaint was filed on August 24, three days after King says his eTA had already been cancelled, meaning it could not have caused the August 21 decision.

The Hind Rajab Foundation has also asked the United States Department of Justice to prosecute King, accusing him of unlawful population transfer and incitement to genocide. American authorities nevertheless permitted King to enter the United States, and he was in the U.S. when he spoke to the Jerusalem Post about Canada cancelling his authorization.

None of the complaints against King are a criminal conviction, and the Canadian government has not said that it accepted any of the allegations against him when his travel authorization was cancelled.

Masar Badil is not currently listed as a terrorist entity in Canada, although the organizations the United States says it operates for or in connection with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Samidoun, which are both on Canada’s terrorist list.

The Canadian government has so far declined to say why King’s eTA was cancelled or whether any of the complaints and campaigns against him played a role in the decision.