Israel detains British lawmakers and bars them from entering the West Bank

Israeli authorities detained British lawmakers and other members of a European political delegation for eight hours and denied them entry to the occupied West Bank, according to the lawmakers. The authorities sent the group back to Jordan. The delegation included SNP MP Lara Bird, Labour MP Clive Lewis and Scottish Greens MSP Kate Nevens.

The detention and denial of entry occurred on Monday, according to the accounts. The Irish News reported that the group was stopped while crossing from Jordan. New Arab reported that Israeli authorities barred the delegation and returned its members to Jordan. Neither account gives an Israeli explanation for the decision.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the Commons on Tuesday that the British government had raised the matter with Israeli authorities. He said he was “deeply concerned” after the lawmakers reported their detention and denial of entry. This is the documented government action following the incident; the sources do not report an Israeli reply.

Lewis described the detention in a post on X, saying the group had been held and questioned and made to feel it had done something wrong by trying to enter. Bird told The New Arab that Israeli authorities had quickly obtained substantial information about her.

She also said the incident reflected an intentional effort to prevent people from entering the West Bank to observe conditions there. That assessment is Bird’s claim, rather than an explanation attributed to Israeli authorities. The delegation’s planned activities were described by Progressive International, as reported by the Irish News.

It said the programme included meetings with Palestinian academics, students and civil society organisations, as well as joining the olive harvest. Erik Edman, political director of DiEM25, told The New Arab that the group had also intended to meet Palestinian farmers facing attacks on their land.

The sources provide no account from Israeli authorities of why those meetings or visits were denied. The group also included former MP Sam Tarry and Spanish senator Josu Estarrona Elizondo, according to Progressive International.

The Irish News reported that the delegation planned to join the harvest following what Progressive International called “mounting attacks” against farmers in the territory. That description is the organisation’s claim; the accounts do not provide figures or further details about those attacks.

The incident places the access dispute before the British government: Miliband has confirmed that it raised the issue with Israeli authorities, while the delegation’s members have publicly described their detention and their planned visit.

The accounts do not report whether the Israeli authorities will reconsider the denial of entry or what steps the British government will take next.