By Enyichukwu Enemanna
It is “unacceptable” for Israel to detain two UK lawmakers and deny them entry, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Saturday.
Two governing Labour lawmakers, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, had flown from London to Israel but were blocked from entering the country and deported, British media reported.
“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 said in a statement.
“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.
“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,” he added.
The incident sparked a domestic row between Lammy and Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader of the opposition, who told Sky News on Sunday that she was “very concerned about a lot of the rhetoric” from Labour MPs on Israel, saying she was “not surprised” the two had been detained.
Lammy responded by writing on X: “It’s disgraceful you are cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs.”
Israel has since broken the ceasefire deal agreed last month and has pushed to occupy territory in the Gaza Strip, aiming to force militants to free hostages still in captivity.
The UK has repeatedly called for a ceasefire since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, which has killed over 1,218 people and displaced thousands of others.
