British Foreign Minister David Lammy criticized Israeli actions on Saturday as “unacceptable” and deeply disturbing after two British lawmakers have been detained and rejected.
According to AFP, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, both members of the ruling Labor Party, were stopped by British Media on arrival from London and subsequently deported.
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“It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply that two British deputies at a parliamentary delegation to Israel were detained and rejected by the Israeli authorities,” Lammy said in a statement, AFP reported.
“In the Israeli government, I explained to my counterparts that this was not a way to treat British deputies, and tonight we were in contact with both deputies to offer our support.
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“The focus of the United Kingdom Government remains to return to the ceasefire and negotiations on the cessprolling, liberation of hostages and conflicts in Gaza.”
Who is Yuan and Abtisam Muhammad?
Yuan Yang was elected deputies for Earley and Woodley in 2024, referring to the first elections in the newly created constituency. He is the first Chinese to be born British to be elected to parliament and the second Chinese ethnicity, after the conservative MP Alan Mak.
Abtisam Mohamed was elected as a deputy for Sheffield Central in July of the previous year and became the first Arabic woman to be elected to parliament.
It should be noted that the Labor Party has already stopped certain British shipments of weapons due to concerns related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Why were British MPs detained in Israel?
Yang and Muhammad, both arrived in Israel for a flight from Luton, England at 14:30 on Saturday, accompanied by two helpers.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Immigration, the Sky News and Politics UK, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohammad were rejected by entry into Israel because of the suspicion that they planned to “document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israeli hatred”.
As the Times of Israel states, during their interrogation, MEPs – known for the support of the Israeli boycott – claimed to have been part of the official British parliamentary delegation. This statement was later revealed because no Israeli authority verified the existence of such a delegation. The Minister of the Interior Moshe Arbel thus ordered the rejection of entry for all four individuals, quoted legal reasons and ordered their deportation according to the Office for the Population.
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Since the renewal of military operations last month, which ended a short ceasefire in its conflict with Hamas, Israel has tried to entertain the territory in the Gaza zone. The aim of this strategy is to push militants to release the hostages that are still held.
According to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-Run Gaza, 1,249 people have died since Israel intensified its bomber campaign last month, increasing the total number of victims from the beginning of the war to 50 609.
It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply that two British deputies have been detained and rejected by the Israeli authorities to the parliamentary delegation to Israel.
October 7, 2023, an attack on Israel, which ignited the conflict, resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians, based on the number of AFPs using official Israeli data.
(With the entry from agencies)
(tagstotranslate) Israel Gaza War
