London: London is concerned about Israel's denial of entry to two British parliamentarians, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Sunday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, The Times of Israel reported on Saturday that Israeli authorities had banned two British parliamentarians from entering the country on the grounds that they were allegedly planning "to document Israeli security forces and spread hateful rhetoric against Israel." The lawmakers claimed that they had arrived in Israel with two aides as part of an official delegation from the British parliament, but no Israeli agency has confirmed the arrival of such a delegation.
"It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities," Lammy said in a statement.
The secretary noted that he had informed the Israeli government about this. At the same time, he indicated that the authorities had contacted both MPs to "offer our support." The politician also stressed that the UK continued to support a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages.
In March, Israel resumed hostilities in the Gaza Strip after a nearly two-month ceasefire. Senior officials of the Jewish state explained the resumption of the war by the fact that Palestinian movement Hamas had refused to accept the American plan to extend the ceasefire and release the Israeli hostages. The Israeli leadership has repeatedly emphasized that it would not accept the continued presence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in any form. The Palestinian side, in turn, accused Israel of refusing to follow previously reached agreements and negotiate a final end to the war and the withdrawal of troops from Gaza.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas officially ended on March 1, but hostilities did not resume until mid-month due to mediators' attempts to attract the parties to continue negotiations on a settlement in Gaza. Nevertheless, Israel stopped supplying electricity to the desalination plant in Gaza and closed the entry to trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the enclave.