“ Unacceptable and deeply concerning ”: the British minister condemns the detention by Israel of British deputies

The Minister of the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, condemned the treatment of two British deputies who were detained and refused the entry into Israel this weekend, calling for the “unacceptable” and “deeply concerning” move during a declaration in the House of Commons.
Yuan Yang, deputy for Earley and Woodley, and Abtisam Mohamed, deputy for Sheffield Central, had both received authorization before traveling as part of a parliamentary delegation in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories. However, when they arrived at Tel Aviv airport, they were detained for six hours by Israeli immigration officials. Falconer told deputies: “When I told them at 8:30 p.m., they thought they had to be detained during the night without their mobile phones.”
After the intervention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Lammy and Falconer, the deputies were released from detention, but have always been prohibited from entering Israel. They were transported by plane to the United Kingdom early Sunday morning.
“I understand that it is the first time that a British deputy has been forbidden to enter Israel,” said Falconer. “This decision seems to have been made on the basis of the comments made in this room.” He continued: “It is not a way to treat democratically elected representatives of a close partner nation. We clearly indicated it at the highest levels in Israel. ”
Falconer confirmed that officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were involved in assistance to deputies and paid tribute to the pair, who, according to him, “behaved with great dignity”. He added that they had planned to visit humanitarian projects in Gaza and the West Bank to attend the impact of the current conflict and the increase in the violence of the colonists.
“These visits are commonplace for deputies of all this house and all parties,” he said, stressing that more than 160 deputies participated in similar trips, often supported by groups such as medical aid for Palestinians and the British Arab understanding Council.
Falconer warned the Israeli government that jumping the deputies “to harm the image of the Israeli government in the eyes of honorable members of the Chamber.” He also discussed the wider crisis in Gaza, citing the death of 15 paramedics in Rafah on March 23 and reiterated the UK appeal to a cease-fire. “The murder of 15 paramedical and rescuers … was one of the deadliest attacks against humanitarian staff since the start of the war,” he said. “These deaths are an outrage and we must see this incident surveyed in a transparent manner.”
“A ceasefire is the only way to end the conflict,” he said.