UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also weighed in, calling the deportation ‘deeply troubling’ [Getty]
The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) have spoken out after two British MPs were deported from Israel while on an official parliamentary delegation to the region.
The cross-party delegation, organised by Caabu and MAP, was intended to visit the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to allow MPs to witness the humanitarian and health conditions on the ground and engage directly with Palestinian communities.
According to Caabu and MAP, such delegations have been organised “for over a decade” as part of a long-standing programme to inform British lawmakers about the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Labour MPs Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, along with their aides, were detained upon arrival and denied entry. Israeli authorities accused the delegation of intending to spread “anti-Israel hatred”. The two MPs were subsequently deported.
In a joint statement, Yang and Mohamed said they were “astounded at the unprecedented step” taken by Israel.
“It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness firsthand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory,” they wrote, emphasising the importance of transparency and firsthand knowledge in shaping UK policy.
Both MPs have been vocal in Parliament about Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. They stressed that elected representatives must be able to speak freely in the House of Commons without fear of retribution or obstruction.
The deportation has drawn widespread condemnation across the political spectrum. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron described Israel’s move as “unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning”.
Senior MPs, including Wes Streeting and Jeremy Corbyn, criticised the decision, while Labour Friends of Israel – a group typically supportive of Israeli policy – also weighed in, calling the refusal “wrong and counterproductive”.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also weighed in, calling the deportation “deeply troubling” and urging Israel to respect the right of British lawmakers to carry out official visits without obstruction
