Two American academics were kidnapped last Thursday at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. 

Canadian Border Services, or big daddy CSIS, or uncle RCMP, detained Dr Richard Falk, age 95, and his partner Dr Hilal Elver for four hours in a stuffy room at the airport.  The Falks were flying from the US via Toronto to Ottawa to participate in the Palestine Tribunal on Canadian Responsibility.  Security (or whoever they were) claimed Falk and Elver were considered “national security risks” to Canada.  Who told them that? 

Falk is a retired professor of international law at Princeton University, and author of 20 plus books.  He served formerly as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories.   Falk is Jewish.  His wife, Hilal Elver, age 72, is a research professor at the University of California Santa Barbara and is former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.  

Uncharacteristically for Canadian security, the interrogation by security staff was swift and deep.  The couple was asked only five questions : 

• “What exactly will you be saying about Israel in Ottawa?”
• “Why did your UN reports criticize Israeli military actions?
• “Have you been in contact with Palestinian organizations?”
• “What is your position on the war in Gaza?”
• “Who invited you to this Tribunal, and why?”

True –those questions occupied a four hour interview, but according to Dr Falk, there was “nothing particularly aggressive” about the interrogation.  Falk noted the tone of the questions was “random” and “disorganized”.  As you can see, every question was about Israel or Palestine; none appeared to have anything to do with Canada’s ‘security’—unless speaking against Canada’s support for Israel’s genocide is dangerous.  Canadian Senator Yuen Pau Woo, a backer of the Palestine Tribunal, said he was “appalled” that two international law and human rights experts were questioned in Canada “on the grounds that they might pose a national security threat”.

But who demanded the couple be kidnapped in the first place? 

Who asked for them to be treated like criminals, stopped at the border and threatened with not being able to appear at the conference? 

Here’s a clue

In 2013, Canada called on the UN Human Rights’ Council (HRC) to remove Falk as its Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories.

At the same time, UN Watch, a right wing, pro-Israel organization, urged the United States to use its clout to remove Falk “and his unjust mandate” from the Human Rights Council.

John Baird, then-Foreign Affairs minister in PM Harper’s government said,

“Canada has previously called for Falk to be fired for his numerous outrageous and anti-Semitic statements, and these comments underscore once more the complete and total absurdity of his service as a UN special rapporteur.”

Jewish mainstream institutional voices backed the idea of removing Falk as Rapporteur and even considered calling for him to be disallowed in Canada. They have called for the removal of every successor to Falk in the post of UN Special Rapporteur, namely Prof. Michael Lynk (a Canadian) and the incumbent, Francesca Albanese.

Fast forward twelve years. Our (now Liberal) government insists on sucking up to the powerful pro-Israel lobby.  The lobby, which includes the Troika of CIJA, B’nai Brith and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, probably quietly asked the government to stop and interrogate  the couple at the airport—doubtless a humiliating and nasty experience. 

Today, there is no mention on any of the Troika’s websites about any attempts to “cancel” Falk.  The detention of Falk and Elver did not ultimately prevent them from entering Canada; they were “allowed” to attend the conference.  But next time, they might very well be personae non gratae and not allowed in. 

Image at the top: Israel’s attempts to cover up its crimes in Palestine continue, cartoon by Mikail Çiftçi (Turkey). “Israel’s so-called law allowing the closure of foreign media outlets has drawn criticism.” 13 Nov. 2025