UK foreign secretary criticises Israel for denying two Labour MPs entry

Original article by Nadeem Badshah and Haroon Siddique

The UK’s foreign secretary has criticised Israeli authorities for denying two Labour MPs entry into the country and deporting them.

Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were rejected because they were suspected of planning to “document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred”, according to a statement from the Israeli immigration ministry cited by Sky News and Politics UK.

Yang, who represents Earley and Woodley in Berkshire, and Mohamed, the MP for Sheffield Central, flew into Ben Gurion airport from Luton with their aides, according to reports. They said they were part of an MPs’ delegation coming to visit humanitarian aid projects and communities in the West Bank with UK charity partners. The pair were on their way back to the UK on Sunday, according to the chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones.

The foreign secretary, David Lammy, said in a statement on Saturday: “It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities.

“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.

“The UK government’s focus remains securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza.”

In a joint statement posted on X, the two MPs said they were “astounded” at being denied entry, and that it was vital for parliamentarians to be able to witness the situation on the ground in Palestine.

Dame Emily Thornberry, the chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, said that Israel would “rue the day that they did this to British parliamentarians”.

Yang and Mohamed said: “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. It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness first-hand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

They added: “We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with international humanitarian law. Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons without fear of being targeted.”

Their deportation comes amid the resumption, after a short truce, of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, in which it has killed 1,249 people since last month, according to the strip’s health ministry. It puts the overall death toll since the war began at 50,609, mostly civilians. The military campaign began after the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel by Hamas that resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians, and in which 250 people were taken hostage according to Israel.

While the world’s focus has been on Gaza, the Palestinian-Israeli rights group B’tselem has documented 64 airstrikes that killed 261 Palestinians – including militant and civilian casualties, and at least 41 minors – in the West Bank since the 7 October attacks. Additionally, military operations in three West Bank refugee camps in January forced 40,000 people from their homes.

Describing the two deported MPs as “potential leaders”, Thornberry told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “They are highly respected parliamentarians, and Israel is badly advised to try to alienate them, to humiliate them, and to treat them in this way because people listen to what these two young women say, and they will do for decades to come.

“In my view, Israel really needs to start making friends as opposed to alienating people in this way. I think that it’s an insult to Britain and an insult to parliament.”

She added: “I think that they will rue the day that they did this to British parliamentarians. This is the first time that they’ve ever refused MPs access to the country.”

The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (Map) said they had organised the delegation to Israel that included Yang and Mohamed and that they had run such trips to the occupied West Bank for more than a decade.

Amid the fury at Israel over the MPs’ treatment, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, also faced criticism after she told Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme: “I think that every country should be able to control its borders, and that’s what Israel is doing, as far as I understand.”

She said she understood they “were coming in to do something that they were not allowed to do, and so I respect that decision”.

In response, Lammy wrote on X: “It’s disgraceful you are cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs. Do you say the same about Tory MPs banned from China?”