With the imperial pomposity of an old colonial governor, David Lammy has ‘made clear’ to the Israelis that denying entry to Labour MPs Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang is ‘no way to treat British Parliamentarians’. Bloody natives, getting ideas above their station again. Any more of this nonsense, chaps, and you’ll be summoned to High Commissioner Lammy’s office for a jolly good talking to.
The MPs were travelling to Judea and Samiria – or the West Bank – which is ultimately under Israeli military control, but were denied entry by the Population and Immigration Authority. Mohamed and Yang say they were ‘astounded’, British MPs being unfamiliar with the concept of a country that enforces its borders. The pair were questioned on the purpose of their visit, after which the Israeli authorities determined they had come ‘to document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel’, and permission to travel to Judea and Samaria via Israel was denied. The UK Foreign Office says the MPs were on an official parliamentary trip, the Israeli government says they are unaware of any such visit.
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