Mayor Andrew Knack says he’s “disappointed and frustrated” by Edmonton Police Chief Warren Driechel’s decision to join an international delegation to meet with state policing officials in Israel last month.

In a social media post Friday, Knack also expressed disappointment in the chair of the Edmonton police commission for approving the trip, which was organized by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization of police executives in North America.

“For many Edmontonians, the violence in the West Bank and Gaza is not distant. Families in our community are grieving and are worried about loved ones who are living among unimaginable hardships,” the post reads.

“Decisions like these cause real hurt, damage relationships with communities that already feel marginalized and break trust.”

Earlier this week, mosques, Palestinian groups and others signed an open letter to the Edmonton police commission denouncing the trip amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza.

The letter calls for the police commission to clarify what policing practices were learned, and if they will be used on Edmontonians. 

The Edmonton Police Service has told CBC News that the trip was an opportunity for Driechel to learn from Israeli police and said it was paid for by the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Driechel declined an interview request from CBC News this week.

Ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford said a number of councillors met with Edmonton’s Palestinian community this week. She said many told councillors they had lost trust in the police force.

“So many of our refugees that have called Edmonton home, so many of these marginalized communities have had negative and adverse experiences with our police systems, with military systems across the world,” she said in an interview. “These are fragile relationships.

“When you’re in a position of chief of police or the commission, you have to think about, ‘are there unintended consequences that would affect the people that I serve in making this decision,’ and that just wasn’t there.”

Knack wrote that he has asked the police commission to review how the current policy on travel is decided. He said he also expects the police chief and commission to connect with the community to “repair where trust has been broken so that all Edmontonians feel safe.”

CBC News has reached out to the Edmonton Police Service and the Edmonton police commission for comment on Knack’s statement, but had not received a response at the time of publication. 

A day before Knack issued his statement, Edmonton police commission chair Ben Henderson issued a statement saying that he approved Driechel’s travel to Israel “in accordance with the terms of his contract.”

He said the commission has discussed the trip and agreed to review its travel request policies to determine if any changes should be made.

“The commission continues to have confidence in Chief Driechel and his leadership of the Edmonton Police Service.”

Driechel’s trip comes amid ongoing conflict involving Israel in the region. Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023, after an attack by Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 72,000 people, according to Palestinian Health Ministry data from February.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched an attack on Iran, which has since expanded to Lebanon. According to officials, the war has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, almost 700 in Lebanon and at least 13 in Israel.