Prime Minister Mark Carney warned this week that Jewish Canadians are being "brutally targeted," while also announcing a new anti-racism council that reportedly includes two members with troubling views on the Jewish state.

Following Carney's speech on antisemitism, critics reacted with anger at the makeup of the council and questioned how a body meant to fight hate and antisemitism includes two members who are reportedly hostile to the concerns of the Jewish community.

Omar Alghabra, a former Liberal party cabinet minister and Member of Parliament, has faced criticism for publicly mourning former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The former leader of the PLO was described by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as "the father of modern terrorism." In the days following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, he declined a request to condemn them, when asked by Canada's Rebel News. 

Alghabra has also faced scrutiny over past comments regarding Israel. In 2005, he criticized Toronto's police chief for participating in and leading a "Walk with Israel" event, according to The Jerusalem Post. He described the event as "a show of solidarity for a foreign state currently in the midst of an unresolved conflict" and referred to Israel as "a country that is conducting a brutal and the longest contemporary military occupation in the world."

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Canada's opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, pointed to a separate encounter with him involving a terrorist organization. "I remember Mr. Alghabra lobbying me before he was in politics to keep Hezbollah legal, so I'm not sure that he's the right guy to combat antisemitism," he told reporters. 

Howeer, the Jerusalem Post reported that Alghabra had described Hamas as a terrorist organization during a 2016 parliamentary debate.

The other controversial member of the council, Avnish Nanda, represented efforts to keep a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Alberta in place. Critics of the encampment argued it created a hostile atmosphere for Jewish students following Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. 

In April, B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights released a report showing that 6,800 antisemitic incidents took place in the country in 2025, representing a 9.4% increase over 2024. On average, this represented 18.6 incidents a day and was the "highest volume" the group has recorded since it began tracking incidents.

"I'm a Canadian-born Jew serving as rabbi of the vibrant Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem community in Montreal, and I was truly shocked to learn that among the people chosen to sit on Prime Minister Carney's newest council is Omar Alghabra, who publicly mourned the death of Yasser Arafat and remained silent when asked to condemn the attacks of October 7th," Rabbi Zolly Claman of Montreal's Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem Congregation told Fox News Digital.

"Canadian Jews are struggling to understand how our prime minister believed this would be a constructive appointment," Claman said.

When announcing the new Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, Carney stated, "The council has a clear mission to combat racism and hate in all their forms and to guide the Government of Canada as part of our efforts to build a fairer, more just, more inclusive society," He also said that, "The crisis of antisemitism in Canada today is specific, it’s severe, and it demands a targeted response. And that is what our government is fully committed to," Reuters reported.

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When asked about Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement, B'nai Brith Canada, one of the country's leading Jewish advocacy organizations said that while it welcomed the prime minister's acknowledgment of rising antisemitism, it believes additional action is needed to address what it views as a growing crisis facing Canada's Jewish community.

"B'nai Brith Canada acknowledges the Prime Minister's solidarity with the Jewish community," Simon Wolle, the organization's chief executive officer, told Fox News Digital. "He was right to mandate that the Special Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion prioritize researching and combating antisemitism."

At the same time, Wolle questioned whether the newly announced council has the authority and scope necessary to effectively address the problem.

"But we are concerned because the council does not have the power or scale to address this crisis in an appropriate and meaningful manner," he said. "It is an important aspect of the government's approach to combating antisemitism, but it is not sufficient."

Wolle added that B'nai Brith Canada will "continue to call on the government to establish a National Emergency Task Force on Antisemitism, among other initiatives, because the Jewish community needs immediate action, not just words during this time of violence, hate, and threats to our right to exist and participate in Canadian society," he said. Wolle did not offer comment on either Omar Alghabra and Avnish Nanda appointments.

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Claman added, "The Jewish community makes up just 1.2% of Canada's population, yet is the target of 75% of hate crimes, which is astoundingly disproportionate. Canada does not have a hate problem; it has a Jew-hatred problem. There is a very specific virus spreading rapidly across this country, and our prime minister is administering a broad catch-all antibiotic that will not help."

Canadian Jewish activist Ariella Kimmel said his speech lacked concrete solutions and failed to address what she described as growing hostility toward Jewish communities.

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"There was nothing on the vile chants we hear on the streets, nothing about the mobs that target Jewish neighborhoods, nothing calling for police to enforce the laws that already exist," she said.

"What Canada doesn't need is another special council on racism. We need to address the real elephant in the room, the targeting of Jews using 'Zionism' as an excusable reason, led by radicalized progressives and Islamist fundamentalists," she said.

In response to Fox News Digital questions, a spokesperson for Canadian Heritage said, "The Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion will play a critical role in bringing communities together around our shared values and in confronting hate and racism in our communities, so that all Canadians can live in our country without fear, in safety and dignity."

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The statement continued, "On June 1, 2026, the Prime Minister directed the Council to begin by focusing on antisemitism. The Council has a clear mission: to combat racism and hate in all their forms, and to guide the Government of Canada as we build a fairer, more just, and more inclusive country. Information about the Council, including the terms of reference and member biographies, will be posted online in the near future."

Fox News Digital reached out to both Omar Alghabra and Avnish Nanda for comment.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday that it eliminated a Hamas terrorist who helped abduct American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who ultimately was murdered in the Gaza Strip. 

The IDF said Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba terrorist cell, was killed in the central Gaza Strip on Monday. Nukhba, which is Arabic for elite, is the special forces for the Al-Qassam Brigades, which is Hamas' military wing. 

"Ramadan infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th massacre and took part in the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel, and Or Levy from the bomb shelter at the Re’im Junction," the IDF said Tuesday. 

"In addition, throughout the war, and in recent weeks, the terrorist advanced attack plans against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. As such, he posed an immediate threat to IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip," it continued.

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Goldberg-Polin survived almost 11 months in underground tunnels following his capture but was killed alongside other hostages in August 2024, while still in captivity. He was 23 at the time of his death. 

"According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them," then- IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. 

Goldberg-Polin was abducted at a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack against the Jewish State.

He lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack.  

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Eliya Cohen survived 505 days in captivity. He faced extreme starvation, was kept chained in tunnels, and had surgery for a gunshot wound without anesthesia. He was released in February 2025 as part of a negotiated deal.

Or Levy survived 491 days in captivity. He endured harsh conditions and only learned after his release that his wife, Einav, had been killed in the Oct. 7 attack. He has since reunited with his young son.

Alon Ohel spent more than two years as a hostage in Gaza until his release in October last year. 

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A talented pianist, he endured starvation, torture and serious eye injuries from a grenade. He was freed on Oct. 13, 2025, through a U.S.-brokered deal and returned home to recover. He now performs with Israeli artists.

Fox News’ Yonat Friling, Robert McGreevy and Landon Mion contributed to this report.