Seven MPs took their first trips to Israel last week.

Conservative MPs John Duncan, Jeff Watson, Edward Fast and Brent Rathgeber, along with Liberal MPs Scott Simms and Anthony Rota and NDP MP Glenn Thibeault, all toured the country courtesy of the Canada-Israel Committee (CIC).

They were scheduled to return to Canada on July 12.

Shimon Fogel, CEO of the CIC said the trip, like most offered by his organization, aims to bring both new and relatively new parliamentarians to Israel.

Duncan, the elder statesman on the trip, has been an MP for 15 years.

The trips focus primarily on those MPs who “show promise of exceptionally successful political careers. Namely, that they will advance within their particular party and play influential roles in the overall development of party policy,” Fogel said.

He added that the trips expose all participants to “a myriad” of perspectives on issues of the day, including political and religious views from the right, left and centre, as well as from Jews, Christians, Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians.

“They spend time in Jerusalem and Ramallah meeting with political leadership. They are briefed by academics, journalists, NGOs and security analysts They receive a military briefing and get a sense of the non-conflict related sides of Israel,” such as business, culture, social issues and tourism, Fogel said.

“Over the years, the CIC missions have developed a reputation as the most outstanding travel experience parliamentarians have the opportunity to join, and the trip that is most balanced in the information and range of perspectives they get to encounter.”