Two American female MPs from the Labour Party were detained and denied access by Israeli officials on Saturday, accused of spreading anti-Israel speech and attempting to file the actions of safety forces, sparking a diplomatic row between London and Tel Aviv.
The MPs, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, were portion of an established legislative committee when they flew into Israel from Luton Airport. Both were turned up shortly after arrival, with Jewish emigration authorities accusing them of intending” to record the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred”, according to a report by Sky News.
The Members have not confirmed these statements. Yang represents Earley and Woodley, while Mohamed is the MP for Sheffield Central.
American foreign secretary David Lammy described the treatment of the Members as “unacceptable, destructive, and profoundly concerning”.
” I have made obvious to my peers in the Israeli state that this is no way to treat British legislators, and we have been in contact with both MPs now to give our help”, Lammy said in a statement on Saturday.
He added,” The British administration’s focus remains securing a profit to the peace and agreements to prevent the killing, free the captives and end the conflict in Gaza”.
The detention and deportation of Yang and Mohamed have raised fresh questions about Israel’s stance towards foreign lawmakers, especially amid ongoing criticism of its military actions in Gaza.
Israeli forces resumed full-scale operations last month following the collapse of a brief truce with Hamas. Since then, the health ministry in Gaza says at least 1, 249 people have been killed in renewed strikes. This brings the total number of Palestinian deaths since the conflict began to over 50, 000.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1, 218 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures reported by AFP.
The exact reason for the MPs ‘ visit is still unclear, but Israeli officials said the two planned to watch and film security forces.
