‘Unacceptable & deeply concerning’: UK criticizes Israel after denial of entry to 2 MPs over anti-Israel activism

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy sharply criticized Israel on Saturday, after Israeli authorities denied entry to two British Members of Parliament who are well known for their anti-Israel activism, accusing them of attempting to enter the country under false pretenses.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority announced that Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, Members of Parliament from the Labour Party, arrived in Israel “to document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel.”

They landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport with two of their aides at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

During their interrogation upon arrival, they claimed to be part of an official delegation representing the British Parliament. However, the Population Authority found that no such delegation had been verified.

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel then instructed authorities to deny entry to all four individuals “in accordance with the law, and ordered their removal from Israel.”

The Israeli embassy later stated that the MPs had “accused Israel of false claims, were actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers, and supported campaigns aimed at boycotting the State of Israel.”

They also declined to petition a court to reconsider the decision or to accept hotel accommodation during the petition process, according to the embassy.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬…

— Israel in the UK 🇮🇱🤝🇬🇧 (@IsraelinUK) April 6, 2025

“The cost of their return flight to the UK was covered by the State of Israel. The visit was intended to provoke anti-Israel activities at a time when Israel is at war and under attack on seven fronts. Its purpose was to harm Israel and Israeli citizens and spread falsehoods about them. The State of Israel has both the authority and the duty to prevent the entry of individuals whose presence in the country is intended to cause harm to its citizens – just as such authority exists in the UK.”

The decision caused an internal debate between Lammy, who criticized both Israel’s decision, and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has defended Israel.

“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,” Lammy wrote on 𝕏, adding that he “made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians.”

When asked about the incident during a BBC interview, Badenoch affirmed that countries have a right to control their borders. “It's shocking that we have Labour MPs who other countries will not allow through,” she added.

Lammy then hit back at her, calling it “disgraceful” that Badenoch is “cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs.”

After being denied entry into Israel, Mohamed and Yang later stated they were “astounded at the unprecedented step” not to allow them to visit the “occupied West Bank.”

According to Mohamed’s profile on 𝕏, she accused Israel of committing war crimes and alleged it was carrying out 'ethnic cleansing' and using starvation as a weapon in Gaza. She also called for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and advocated for a boycott of goods produced in Judea and Samaria.