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Two British members of Parliament, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were denied entry to the country upon arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority announced Saturday night. The two lawmakers, considered among the most hostile to Israel in the British Parliament and known for supporting boycotts of the state, landed with their aides on a 2:30 p.m. flight from London Luton.
During questioning, the British lawmakers claimed they were visiting Israel as part of an official parliamentary delegation. However, according to the authority, the claim turned out to be false, and no Israeli entity had been informed of or authorized such a visit. The investigation further suggested that their true purpose was to document Israeli security forces and disseminate anti-Israel rhetoric.
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Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, the members of parliament considered to be among the most hostile to Israel
(Photos: Yuan Yang ©House of Commons, Abtisam Mohamed ©House of Commons/Roger Harris)
“In light of these findings, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel decided to deny entry to the four individuals and ordered their deportation from Israel in accordance with the law,” the authority stated.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy responded on X (formerly Twitter), calling the incident “unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning.” He added, “ have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians.”
A similar incident occurred about six weeks ago, when Arbel blocked the entry of European Parliament member Rima Hassan while she was already en route to Israel. Hassan, a French citizen born in Syria who identifies as Palestinian, was traveling as part of a European Union delegation. On the recommendation of Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, she was barred from entering due to her anti-Israel activism, including support for boycotts.
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Hassan claimed she was visiting to promote a project in East Jerusalem. Along with her, three aides were also deported. Upon landing in Israel, they were escorted back to the departures area and flown back to Brussels.
Hassan is considered one of Israel’s most outspoken critics in the European Parliament. Israeli officials have linked her to pro-Hamas campaigns. While she has said she condemned Hamas’ “war crimes,” she also stated her refusal to “bow to the political-media demand to convert natural empathy into support for the State of Israel.”