Israeli-born Canadian says passport office refuses to list Israel as birthplace because of Canadian recognition of 'Palestine'

During the United Nations General Assembly held in New York City in September, several countries – including Canada, Australia, and the UK – recognized a state of Palestine. Following this decision, Canada denied a dual Canadian-Israeli citizen named Anastasia the right to list Israel as her country of birth on her new Canadian passport. She posted a video 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) detailing the exchange at the passport office.

In the video, she explained that when she submitted her documents, the clerk informed her that she could not list Israel as her birthplace. Confused, Anastasia asked for an explanation, and the clerk replied that it was “because of the political conflict.”

Anastasia then requested to see the exact policy that outlined this rule. The clerk left to retrieve the information and “came back with her colleagues.” They informed Anastasia that based on the city of her birth, she could not in fact list Israel as the country of her birth. They went on to explain that since the recognition of the state of Palestine by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, they could now include Palestine for five cities: Nabulus, Jenin, Ramallah, and Jerusalem (the fifth city was not named).

As Jerusalem Post reported, a document shared later by Anastasia’s lawyer stated that she was born in Kfar Saba, Israel. “This is a serious legal, administrative, and human rights concern,” said attorney Neil Oberman, who signed the posted document.

"No law supports this," said Oberman in his own post to 𝕏. "No regulation authorizes this. No democracy should tolerate this. Passports are not political documents. They are a tool of identity and equality before the state."

Oberman went on to call Canada to “do better” and emphasized that “accountability starts with transparency and training.”

Regarding the official recognition of Palestine, Carney said that Canada “offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the state of Palestine and the State of Israel.”

“While Canada is under no illusions that this recognition is a panacea, this recognition is firmly aligned with the principles of self-determination and fundamental human rights reflected in the United Nations Charter and the consistent policy of Canada for generations,” he said.

The decision to recognize Palestine was “an absurd reward for terrorism,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, adding that the international community “will hear from us on this matter in the coming days.”