'Shameful' that two MPs were denied entry into West Bank, Streeting says

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has criticised Israel's "shameful but not surprising" actions aft 2 medically trained MPs were denied introduction into the occupied West Bank.

Labour MPs Peter Prinsley and Simon Opher, who are some doctors, were travelling successful a parliamentary delegation to spot aesculapian and humanitarian enactment being carried retired by organisations specified arsenic Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

They were besides owed to conscionable British diplomats successful Jerusalem, arsenic good arsenic Palestinian and Israeli quality rights organisations, successful a sojourn organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU).

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However, successful a associated connection connected Tuesday night, the brace said Israeli authorities had "prevented them from seeing first-hand the sedate challenges facing aesculapian facilities successful the portion and from proceeding the British government's appraisal of the concern connected the ground", calling this "deeply regrettable".

Mr Streeting wrote connected societal media: "Having been connected a fig of delegations to Israel and Palestine, including with @MedicalAidPal @Caabu, I find the attraction of 2 highly respected clinicians and Members of Parliament by the Israeli authorities shameful, but nary longer surprising."

Foreign Office curate Hamish Falconer said the determination to contradict introduction to the 2 MPs was "unacceptable".

He said: "I person remained successful interaction with some colleagues passim and I person been wide with the Israeli authorities that this is nary mode to dainty British parliamentarians."

Chris Doyle, the manager of CAABU, said that "visiting the occupied Palestinian territory and seeing humanitarian and aesculapian projects should not beryllium taxable to an Israeli veto".

The Israeli embassy successful London has been contacted for comment.

Dr Prinsley, the MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, and Dr Opher, the MP for Stroud, were some elected successful 2024 and person extended backgrounds successful healthcare.

Dr Prinsley has been an NHS surgeon for 30 years and retired precocious to absorption connected his enactment successful parliament, portion Dr Opher chairs an all-party parliamentary radical connected wellness and works arsenic a GP.

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Dr Opher told the BBC helium and his workfellow were held successful a passport bureau and fixed a "legal signifier insisting that we permission the country" earlier being "escorted to a bus" backmost to Jordan.

"It's precise disappointing. We are some doctors and we were truly conscionable going to look astatine healthcare facilities successful the West Bank to spot if determination was thing we could bash to enactment them," helium said.

"We weren't successful immoderate mode trying to undermine the Israelis, conscionable trying to spot what we could bash successful the West Bank" where, helium said, they had been told healthcare was getting progressively difficult.

He said helium was not being admitted nether "public order" grounds.

In April, 2 different Labour MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were denied introduction to Israel connected different sojourn organised by CAABU and MAP.

It sparked a governmental row astatine the clip arsenic Israel's UK embassy says they were denied introduction due to the fact that they had "accused Israel of mendacious claims" and were "actively progressive successful promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers".

Then overseas caput David Lammy called the determination "unaccaptable", portion the 2 MPs said parliamentarians "should consciousness escaped to talk truthfully successful the House of Commons, without fearfulness of being targeted".