Israeli ambassador suggests diplomats in West Bank led astray to provoke IDF

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 7:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Israel's ambassador to Canada suggests that determination mightiness person been a deliberate effort to provoke Israeli soldiers earlier they fired informing shots successful the vicinity of a diplomatic delegation — which included Canadians — successful the West Bank connected Wednesday.

Four members of a Canadian delegation were portion of a circuit successful the metropolis of Jenin erstwhile members of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) fired informing shots successful the area. Two are Canadian citizens, including Ottawa's apical diplomat successful the West Bank, and 2 are locally hired staff. No 1 was injured during the incident.

Israel's Ambassador Iddo Moed suggested during an interrogation with CBC News Network's Power & Politics that the diplomats whitethorn person been led astray to intentionally effort to provoke the IDF soldiers. 

"They went into the soldiers. There was thing to see. There was a barrier, a precise wide barrier. So what was the thought to locomotion into that obstruction unless you privation to effort and provoke something," Moed told guest-host Peter Armstrong, referencing to videos of the incident

"Maybe they were led there. I don't know, I don't privation to speculate."

WATCH | Israeli ambassador discusses West Bank incident:

A video of the incidental circulating online shows members of the circuit radical speaking to cameras adjacent a ample yellowish gate. Gunshots tin beryllium heard arsenic the radical hurries distant from the gross and goes astir a thoroughfare corner. In 1 video, 2 soldiers tin beryllium seen pointing guns successful the absorption of the group.

The IDF said Wednesday that an archetypal probe into the incidental revealed that the delegation had deviated from an approved way and soldiers fired informing shots to get the delegation to move. The Palestinian Authority said the incidental took spot adjacent the gross of a exile campy aft the delegation encountered different obstruction astatine a antithetic entrance.

When pressed astir the proposition that the circuit mightiness person provoked Israeli soldiers, Moed again referred to videos of the incident.

"You tin spot they truly made an effort to face the soldiers," Moed said. The ambassador added that determination volition beryllium an probe and that the authorities volition instrumentality work if immoderate wrongdoing is uncovered.

WATCH | Prime Minister Carney reacts to IDF firing shots adjacent Canadian diplomats:

Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a afloat probe into the incidental connected Wednesday evening.

"We expect a afloat probe and we expect an contiguous mentation of what happened. It's wholly unacceptable," Carney said during a quality conference.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand issued a summons to Moed connected Wednesday truthful that the authorities could relay Canada's "serious concerns." The overseas ministers of France and Italy besides issued summons to their respective Israeli ambassadors regarding the incident.

But Moed suggested that the ceremonial summons was unnecessary due to the fact that the Israeli authorities has been forthcoming with those countries astir what happened.

"We person taken work for the investigation, for dealing with the diplomats and with governments that privation to person that information. But determination is nary request to formally petition [that information] arsenic if things similar that are not happening naturally," Moed said.

A elder Canadian authorities authoritative told CBC quality that members of the Canadian delegation were shaken up by the incidental and were being offered enactment from Global Affairs Canada.

Netanyahu calls retired Carney, different leaders

Wednesday's incidental comes astatine a tense infinitesimal successful Canadian-Israeli relations. 

Earlier this week, Carney joined British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron successful threatening to enforce sanctions connected Israel successful effect to its "denial of indispensable humanitarian assistance" successful Gaza.

In a video connection released Thursday condemning Wednesday's shooting of 2 Israeli embassy unit members successful Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called retired Carney, Starmer and Macron for their Gaza statement, accusing them of "emboldening Hamas."

"You're connected the incorrect broadside of humanity and you're connected the incorrect broadside of history," Netanyahu said of the 3 leaders.