{"id":275386,"date":"2025-04-06T11:14:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T11:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/06\/yuan-yang-and-abtisam-mohamed-astounded-after-being-denied-entry-to-israel\/"},"modified":"2025-04-06T11:14:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T11:14:35","slug":"yuan-yang-and-abtisam-mohamed-astounded-after-being-denied-entry-to-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/06\/yuan-yang-and-abtisam-mohamed-astounded-after-being-denied-entry-to-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed ‘astounded’ after being denied entry to Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aleks Phillips & Ruth Comerford<\/span><\/p>\n

BBC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Abtisam Mohamed (left) and Yuan Yang have now left the country<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Two Labour MPs say they are “astounded” to have been denied entry to Israel while travelling to the West Bank. <\/p>\n

Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang said that it was “vital” parliamentarians were able to “witness, firsthand, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory”.<\/p>\n

They were refused entry because they intended to “spread hate speech” against Israel, the nation’s population and immigration authority said.<\/p>\n

Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticised Israeli authorities, describing the move as “unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Israel had a right to “control its borders”, adding it was “significant” there were Labour MPs other countries did not want to let in.<\/p>\n

Yang, the MP for Earley and Woodley, and Mohamed, the MP for Sheffield Central, flew to Israel from London Luton Airport with two aides on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The Israeli immigration authority said Interior Minister Moshe Arbel denied entry to all four passengers after they were questioned. It accused them of travelling to “document the security forces”.<\/p>\n

The Israeli embassy in London said in a statement on Saturday that the country “will not allow the entry of individuals or entities that act against the state and its citizens”. <\/p>\n

It said Mohamed and Yang had “accused Israel of false claims” and were “actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers”. <\/p>\n

It also said they had supported campaigns aimed at boycotting the country “at a time when Israel is at war and under attack on seven fronts”. <\/p>\n

The UK Foreign Office said the group was part of a parliamentary delegation. However, Israel’s immigration authority said the delegation had not been acknowledged by an Israeli official.<\/p>\n

The Israeli embassy said the MPs “were offered hotel accommodation, which they declined” and the cost of their return flight to the UK was covered. <\/p>\n

Israel’s Interior Ministry said the MPs left the country early on Sunday. <\/p>\n

Mohamed and Yang said their trip had been organised with UK charities that had “over a decade of experience in taking parliamentary delegations”.<\/p>\n

“We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in Parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with international humanitarian law,” the MPs said in a joint statement. <\/p>\n

“Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthful in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted.”<\/p>\n

Lammy said the Foreign Office had been in touch with both MPs to offer support, adding: “I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians.” <\/p>\n

The Council for Arab-British Understanding and Medical Aid for Palestinians – the latter of which is a registered UK charity – said in a joint statement that they had organised the trip.<\/p>\n

“This visit was part of that long-standing programme,” they said.<\/p>\n

“When questioned, the group was clear, open and transparent about the aims and objectives of the visit, which included visiting a range of projects run by humanitarian and development organisations operating in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

“The group had informed the UK consul general in Jerusalem of their visit and was planning to meet with them as part of the itinerary.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Watch: “Countries should be able to control their borders” – Badenoch on MPs denied entry to Israel<\/figcaption><\/p>\n
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Both Yang and Mohamed – who were first elected in 2024 – have made several interventions on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Parliament.<\/p>\n

In February, Mohamed initiated a cross-party letter, signed by 61 MPs and lords, calling for a ban on goods from Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, citing an opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).<\/p>\n

She has also criticised Israel for withholding humanitarian aid from Gaza, telling the House of Commons in October that international law “prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare”, and has mentioned humanitarian organisations’ claims of “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.<\/p>\n

In January, Yang spoke in favour of bringing sanctions against Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, after they suggested building Israeli settlements in northern Gaza to encourage Palestinians to leave.<\/p>\n

She has also highlighted the dangerous conditions journalists and medical professionals face while in the Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that countries “should be able to control their borders” when asked about Israel’s decision. <\/p>\n

“What I think is shocking is that we have MPs in Labour [who] other countries won’t allow through,” Badenoch said. “I think that’s very significant.”<\/p>\n

Her comments were rebuffed by Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, who described Yang and Mohamed as “highly respected parliamentarians” and “potential leaders”.<\/p>\n

“Israel is badly advised to try and alienate them, to humiliate them and to treat them in this way,” she told the programme. <\/p>\n

“I think that it’s an insult to Britain and I think it’s an insult to Parliament.”<\/p>\n

Sir Ed Davey accused Badenoch of “yet another complete shocker”.<\/p>\n

The Liberal Democrat leader said she “has once again shown unbelievably poor judgement by failing to back two British MPs denied entry to Israel”.<\/p>\n

Lammy called Badenoch’s comments “disgraceful”, asking her: “Do you say the same about Tory MPs banned from China?”<\/p>\n

During the war in Gaza, there have been protests, violent incidents and raids by Israeli forces in the West Bank. Hundreds of deaths have been reported there.<\/p>\n

Israeli troops have been engaged in an extended operation in the occupied Palestinian territory, where two Palestinians were killed on Friday.<\/p>\n

The current war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.<\/p>\n

Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 50,000 people have been killed. It said 1,309 people have died since a ceasefire ended on 18 March.<\/p>\n

Lammy said: “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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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