Shockat Adam, an unbiased MP for Leicester South, and Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, arrived in Israel and toured Hebron, Bethlehem and East Jerusalem – three areas recognised below worldwide legislation and by the British authorities as being Palestinian territory below Israeli occupation.
The delegation stated in a joint assertion late on Friday that the journey instantly received off to a rocky begin when George, an MP who has repeatedly condemned Israel’s 18-month onlsught on Gaza, was stopped by Israeli border officers.
“George was questioned and brought apart and prevented from coming into Israel for 45 minutes, earlier than ultimately being permitted entry, following communications with the British Embassy in Tel Aviv and the British Consulate in Jerusalem,” the delegation stated.
Earlier this month, Labour MPs Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang had been refused entry by Israeli authorities to the occupied Palestinian territories on the grounds that they supposed to “unfold hate speech”. The transfer divided British politicians, with Conservative Celebration chief Kemi Badenoch publicly expressing help for Israel’s resolution.
Members of the delegation advised Center East Eye that three days after arriving in occupied Palestine, and through a go to to Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, they witnessed a whole lot of Israeli settlers enter the mosque’s courtyards to wish.
For many years, Israel has prohibited Jewish prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of many holiest websites in Islam, however ultranationalist settlers and several other members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities oppose this stance and have more and more allowed Jewish prayer there.
Since final Saturday, when the Passover vacation started, an unprecedented 6,315 Israeli settlers have entered the courtyards to wish, in defiance of a fragile establishment governing worship and visits to the location.
Members of the delegation advised MEE they witnessed Israeli settler teams enter the mosque advanced below police safety, including that there have been few Palestinians contained in the mosque.
The MPs additionally visited Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron within the southern West Financial institution, the place they met members of the native Palestinian neighborhood and witnessed Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians.
Members of the delegation advised MEE that armed settlers and safety forces confronted them whereas they had been witnessing how Bedouin farmers had entry to their land disrupted, earlier than backing off once they discovered there have been British parliamentarians within the group.
In Hebron, they acknowledged safety forces raised their assault rifles because the delegation’s automobile tried to go a checkpoint.
This January, Israel launched a army operation referred to as Operation Iron Wall with the purpose of tightening its grip on resistance strongholds within the occupied West Financial institution.
The UN says the operation has seen at the least 40,000 Palestinians pressured from their properties. Within the Tulkarem governorate within the north-west, the MPs met Palestinian households displaced from their properties by the army.
The delegation additionally visited Ramallah, the place they met Palestinian political and human rights figures, together with Mustafa Barghouti, basic secretary of the Palestinian Nationwide Initiative.
And in Tel Aviv in Israel, they met with journalists and Israeli and Palestinian human rights campaigners, together with the chair of B’Tselem, Israel’s largest human rights organisation.
Adam and George are set to carry a press convention on Wednesday to reply questions on their go to.
