Two British Members of Parliament, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were denied entry to Israel on Sunday while attempting to visit the West Bank as part of a fact-finding trip. The MPs, from the governing Labour Party, were stopped at the border on the grounds that they intended to provoke anti-Israel activities, according to the Israeli embassy in London.
In a joint statement, Mohamed and Yang expressed their surprise at the decision, saying, “We’re astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities to refuse British MPs entry on our trip to visit the occupied West Bank.” They stressed the importance of parliamentarians being able to witness the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory firsthand.
The Israeli embassy stated that the decision was made because the MPs had previously accused Israel of false claims, promoted sanctions against Israeli ministers, and supported boycott campaigns against the state. The embassy emphasized that the interior ministry had a duty to prevent individuals from causing harm to Israel.
Both MPs had previously spoken in Britain’s parliament about the Israel-Palestine conflict and urged compliance with international law. Mohamed had raised concerns about the situation in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, while Yang had called for sanctions against Israeli government officials.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the detention, stating that this was no way to treat parliamentarians. Israel has previously blocked entry to other lawmakers, including members of the European Parliament and the US Congress, as well as UN officials.
