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Two British members of parliament who were sent back to the UK after trying to enter Israel criticized the country's decision on Sunday.
Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, both from the country's governing center-left Labor Party, traveled to Israel as part of a parliamentary delegation, but were stopped by Israeli authorities due to what the Israeli embassy in Britain labeled as their intention to provoke anti-Israel activities.
Abtisam Mohamed, a lawyer who had worked on human rights, was also trying to visit IsraelImage: Roger Harris/Iqbal Mohamed/House of Commons"We're astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities to refuse British MPs entry on our trip to visit the occupied West Bank," the two said in a statement after returning to London.
"It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness first hand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory," the statement continued.
Plans to harm state the reason, embassy says
According to Israel's embassy in London, the two politicians "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," whereas Mohamed and Yang said they had spoken about the importance of following international law.
The two said parliamentarians should have the ability to "speak truthfully," without having fears of being targeted.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the Israeli authorities' handling of the two British MPs was no way to treat parliamentarians.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticized the Israeli authorities for their treatment of the two British MPsImage: Sergei Supinsky/AFPHistory of rejected visits
Members of the European parliament and the US Congress have previously been barred from entering the country on similar grounds, with the latest high-profile name added to the list being UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Israel said the reason for the decision was that Guterres had not "unequivocally" condemned Iran's missile attack on the country.
Another high-profile case took place in 2019, when Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib were prevented from entering Israel due to their history of criticism against the country.
Tlaib, who is of Palestinian origin, was later allowed to enter Israel "on humanitarian grounds" to visit her grandmother, who lived in the occupied West Bank.
Tlaib had to commit to "not promoting any boycotts against Israel" during her visit, which she rejected, labeling Israel's conditions "oppressive."
Dozens killed in Gaza, rockets in Israel
Meanwhile, Gaza's civil defense agency said that at least 44 people have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, with dozens being injured. Israel has ramped up its strikes in Gaza in recent weeks, and accused Hamas of stalling efforts to reach a ceasefire deal to release Israeli hostages.
In Israel, several rockets were shot from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, triggering sirens across the southern cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. The IDF said most rockets were intercepted.
One injury has been reported in the city of Ashkelon as a result of one of the rockets.
Hamas took responsibility for the rockets' launch. Hamas is deemed a terrorist organization by not only Israel, but also Germany, the US and several other countries.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
