A diplomatic storm has erupted in the UK after Israeli authorities expelled two British parliamentarians — prompting sharp criticism from Foreign Secretary David Lammy and a staunch defence from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
Labour MPs Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were denied entry into Israel and expelled shortly after arriving. The pair had travelled as part of a parliamentary delegation organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), intending to visit humanitarian aid projects and meet with communities in the West Bank.
Both organisations say they have run such trips for over a decade without interference from the Israeli government.
Badenoch defended the Israeli authorities’ actions: “I think that every country should be able to control its borders, and that’s what Israel is doing, as far as I understand.”
She added that the MPs were “coming in to do something that they were not allowed to do, and so I respect that decision.”
Lammy, outraged by her remarks, took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond.
“It’s disgraceful you are cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs. Do you say the same about Tory MPs banned from China? This government will continue to stand up for the rights of our MPs to speak their mind, whatever their party.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy
Badenoch’s comments sparked outrage not just within Labour ranks, but also among other opposition leaders.
Emily Thornberry, Labour MP and chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed disbelief at Badenoch’s stance.
“I was completely gobsmacked. This is nonsense. You have to stand up for what’s right, Kemi Badenoch, and you should stand in solidarity with other parliamentarians who were just going to Israel and the West Bank to find out what was going on.”
Emily Thornberry
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, described Badenoch’s position as “unbelievably poor judgment” and “another complete shocker.”
Badenoch fired back on X, making a distinction between Israel and autocratic regimes.
“Unlike China, Israel is our ally and a democracy. A good foreign sec would be able to make that distinction. Perhaps Labour MPs could put UK national interest first and do their jobs instead of campaigning for airports in Kashmir or promoting Hamas propaganda in parliament.”
Kemi Badenoch
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But the unity within Conservative ranks appeared shaky. Richard Fuller, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, offered a notably different response. “Any member of parliament who goes on an official trip should be, I would think, welcomed in any country,” he said in an interview.
“They’re going there to be better informed about the situation and then report back to their parliamentary colleagues about what they have found. We should all be very worried about democracy. Democracy isn’t a guarantee in life. Freedom isn’t guaranteed.”
Richard Fuller
Emily Thornberry noted that this marked the first time Israel refused British MPs entry. The denial comes amid growing global scrutiny of Israel’s actions in the occupied territories.
Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks that reignited conflict in Gaza, Israel has launched several airstrikes in the West Bank. According to the Israeli-Palestinian human rights group B’Tselem, 261 Palestinians have been killed and 40,000 displaced in the West Bank alone.
While global focus has remained largely on the devastation in Gaza, the deportation of the Labour MPs has drawn new attention to Israel’s treatment of visiting international observers.
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