‘Clear discrimination’: Israeli woman says Canada barred her from listing ‘Israel’ as birthplace; cited ‘political conflict’

An Israeli woman was reportedly told she could not list “Israel” as her place of birth while applying for a new Canadian passport, citing “political conflict.” The woman, identified as Anastasia, shared the experience in a social media post.“A Canadian Passport employee told me they can not write Israel as my birth country. These are the clear consequences of the current government and leadership in power,” Anastasia said through a post on X.

According to her video, the employee explained that Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state under Prime Minister Mark Carney meant that applicants from certain cities in Israel could list their birthplace as Palestine.The cities mentioned in the video are Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah, and Jerusalem.“It is clear discrimination,” Anastasia said through the video.

A document later shared by Anastasia’s lawyer clarified that she was born in Kfar Saba, Israel."Our client, a Canadian citizen, was told that her place of birth—Kfar Saba, Israel—could not appear on her passport “because of the political conflict.” No law supports this. No regulation authorizes it.

No democracy should tolerate it. Passports are not political documents. They are instruments of identity and equality before the state," the woman's lawyer, Neil G Oberman said through a post on X. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier announced that Canada now recognises a Palestinian state, aligning with similar moves by the UK and Australia. The decision, made despite US opposition, is intended to help advance a two-state solution."We are working to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, to not allow the facts on the ground, deaths on the ground, the settlements on the ground, the expropriations on the ground, to get to such an extent that this is not possible," Carney had said. Carney had also said he would abide by the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would have him detained if he entered Canada.