British Foreign Secretary David Lammy delivered a stern condemnation of the Israeli government yesterday after two Labour Members of Parliament were denied entry and deported, according to a report in The Guardian.
The MPs in question, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, were stopped at the border and turned away later that day amid concerns over the nature of their visit and suspected ulterior motives.
During interrogation by Israeli officials, the two parliamentarians claimed to be part of a sanctioned British parliamentary delegation. However, Israeli authorities quickly determined that this claim was baseless, as no governmental body in Israel had been informed of any such official visit.
Further investigation revealed that the true objective behind their visit was allegedly to gather material against Israeli defense personnel and promote damaging falsehoods about the country. Consequently, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel of Shas exercised his legal authority to bar the MPs and their team from entering, instructing that they be expelled from the country.
In response to the developments, Lammy issued a public statement Saturday night, saying, “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.”
He went on to say, “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.”
Lammy also reiterated the UK’s diplomatic priorities in the region, with a focus on restoring calm and facilitating negotiations in Gaza. “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,” he stated.
{Matzav.com}