Two British members of parliament, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed from the Labour Party, were denied entry to Israel and briefly detained before being sent back to London, British Deputy Finance Minister Darren Jones confirmed on April 6.
The MPs, part of a parliamentary delegation, were barred from entering Israel on suspicion of planning to “document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred,” according to Sky News, citing the Israeli immigration ministry.
Jones called the treatment of the MPs “unacceptable,” a sentiment echoed by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who stated, “I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians.” Lammy reiterated the UK government’s commitment to restoring a ceasefire and ending the conflict in Gaza.
Yang and Mohamed had flown to Israel from Luton on April 5. Israel’s foreign ministry has not yet commented on the incident.
The Gaza conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas attack on Israeli communities, has led to over 1,200 deaths and more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports. In response, Israel’s military campaign has resulted in over 50,000 deaths in Gaza, as reported by local health authorities. A January ceasefire expired in March, sparking renewed hostilities.
The incident has heightened diplomatic tensions, underscoring the ongoing complexities of the Gaza conflict.
