The Israeli Embassy in Ottawa said it feels at risk of violence erupting after nearly three years of pressure on Canada to increase its security. It is exceptionally rare for embassies and consulates to announce concerns about their security, but the Israeli embassy provided two senior officials for an interview on this subject. The interviews were conducted on condition that the officials remain unnamed by The Canadian Press, as the staff feared that hostility directed at the diplomatic mission could target them. The officials said that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lowered the security level for the head of the Israeli mission shortly after Nimrod Barkan, the former Israeli ambassador to Canada, retired in November 2019. Also, the police did not confirm any details, but the embassy said the force stopped providing so-called VIP protection details, which include 24-hour protection for the ambassador while traveling between the embassy and the official residence. Israel did not appoint an ambassador during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the chargé d’affaires to lead the embassy while Ottawa was among the most locked-down capitals. When Israel’s current ambassador to Canada, Ronen Hoffman, began his term in December 2021, Israeli embassy officials requested to have the same protection as his predecessor, with the embassy saying that the Protocol Office at Global Affairs Canada rejected this request in official diplomatic memos, as did the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in one meeting. The officials said they tried in vain to request a meeting to resolve the issue with the Protocol Office and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police wrote that "it would not be appropriate to disclose specific details" of discussions with any embassy. The embassy had posted on social media activists opposing Israeli policies toward Palestinians, displaying floor plans of the embassy site and pictures of its hallway. Staff also shared what they said was a recent voicemail, in which an anonymous voice says, "We will kill you wherever you are."