Israel slams Canada for statement opposing West Bank settlement expansion

Wednesday’s statement prompted a tit-for-tat on social media with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which sought to dismiss Canada’s concerns as misguided.

In a post, Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, underscored that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law.

The expansion of such settlements has coincided with an uptick in violence in the West Bank. The United Nations reports that 76 Palestinians have died this year in settler attacks.

“Canada condemns the ongoing violence in the West Bank. The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank must stop. These settlements are illegal under international law and undermine prospects for peace, security and stability,” Canada’s statement reads.

“We call for the de-escalation and protection of civilians. International humanitarian law must be respected, and all civilians must be able to live in safety and security.”

Hours earlier, the Office for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) likewise highlighted the increasing violence and condemned plans for expanding Israeli settlements.

“We are alarmed by the Israeli Government’s announcement to further increase the number of settlements and outposts and open calls by Israeli leaders for revenge and collective punishment against Palestinian communities,” an OHCHR spokesperson said in a statement.

The UN said it had recorded roughly 190 settler attacks in each of the first four months of 2026. At that rate, it estimated that the number of settler attacks could reach about 2,000 by the year’s end, overtaking last year’s total of 1,835.

The remarks from Global Affairs Canada on social media prompted a rebuttal from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which accused Canada of moving to “embolden terror”.

“A wave of Palestinian terrorism is sweeping Judea and Samaria. Israelis are being murdered and wounded by Palestinian terrorists,” the Foreign Ministry said, using the biblical term for the occupied West Bank favoured by Israeli settlers.

“Yet Canada’s response is not to focus on the terrorists or those who glorify and encourage them, but to condemn Israel.”

Attacks on Palestinian communities have further surged after a deadly incident last week, when a Palestinian man in the village of Tal grabbed a settler’s gun and shot him dead during an incursion into their village.

Heavily armed Israeli settlers often roam into Palestinian areas hoping to spark tensions.

Israeli authorities and settlers alike have framed the incident as an act of terrorism and used it as a pretext to issue a sweeping crackdown on Palestinian communities.

Israel and Canada have previously feuded over Israel’s control of the occupied West Bank, although critics have pointed out that Ottawa has rarely followed up with concrete policy changes to step up pressure on Israel.

In December, Israel denied six Canadian MPs entry into the occupied West Bank, where they had planned to speak with Palestinian officials and human rights advocates.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said at the time that the lawmakers had been turned away after being told that Israeli authorities had deemed them a “public safety threat”.