'FRIENDSHIP SHOULD NEVER BE CONTROVERSIAL': Israeli ambassador rebukes Nenshi over Stampede photo apology

CALGARY — Israel’s ambassador to Canada and several Conservative politicians are criticizing Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi after he apologized for a photo taken with the ambassador during a Calgary Stampede event, saying that “friendship should never be controversial.”Nenshi came under fire from some critics after a photo posted by Israel in Canada’s official Facebook account showing him with Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed surfaced earlier this month.“Support for Israel is support for freedom, for the only liberal democracy in the Middle East, and for human rights,” the post read..After the image began circulating, Nenshi issued an official statement on Thursday, apologizing and saying he was “so sorry for the harm it caused” and reiterated his criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza while also condemning antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism.On Friday, Moed issued a statement arguing that friendship should not be politicized and should “never be controversial.”.“At the Calgary Stampede with a 6-person tech delegation, I reconnected with Albertan friends old and new, and saw firsthand the growing strength of the Israel–Alberta partnership,” Moed said.“But it’s unacceptable for hate to creep and fester into a space built on hospitality, undermining the respect and empathy that should define it.”Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar (Calgary Heritage) also took to the social media platform X to directly criticizeNenshi, saying he “had a choice” and that “he didn't just fail a test of leadership. He failed Albertans.”.“Ambassador Iddo Moed was in Calgary to showcase Israeli innovation — the kind of technology partnerships that would create jobs, save lives, secure people, and generate economic opportunity for Albertans,” Majumdar said.“Nenshi chose his extremist base instead, the Keffiyeh-adorned Hamas apologists. The same base led by Heather McPherson and Avi Lewis who have made the NDP a vehicle for violent extremism.”.Another Conservative MP, Shannon Stubbs (Lakeland), also weighed in, saying that it had been an honour to present Moed with a Calgary White Hat during the Stampede and highlighted Canada’s relationship with Israel and Alberta’s longstanding ties to the Jewish community.“It was also wonderful to connect with members of Israel’s new Consulate General team in Canada and celebrate the friendship, shared values, innovation, resilience, and enduring bond between Canada and Israel,” Stubbs said..UPDATED: Nenshi 'panders' to critics, apologizes for photo with Israeli ambassador.At a press conference later on Thursday after Nenshi had issued his apology, he told the Western Standard that he was not pandering to critics or his political base by apologizing.“People were hurt by it, and when a politician hurts somebody, they should apologize," Nenshi said.He also confirmed that he had declined the invitation to attend a separate Israel in Canada event during Stampede.

'FRIENDSHIP SHOULD NEVER BE CONTROVERSIAL': Israeli ambassador rebukes Nenshi over Stampede photo apology

Related Stories

Nenshi to run in Calgary in 2027 election

UPDATED: Nenshi 'panders' to critics, apologizes for photo with Israeli ambassador

WATCH: Israeli ambassador on Israel’s declining support from the West

Nenshi asks Carney to intervene over Alberta health care reform plan