UK MP tells of being detained during tense crossing into occupied West Bank

The National

23-04-2025

Two British MPs who have just returned from Israel and the occupied West Bank have told of a tense border crossing during which one was detained and they feared they would be fired on. This comes as pressure grows on the UK government to take a stronger stance against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives in Cornwall, south-west England, and Adam Shockat, an independent MP for Leicester West, in central England, travelled to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and West Bank towns last week, defying fears they could be denied entry. They were not turned back, but faced harassment during their stay. Mr George was briefly detained at the crossing into the West Bank and then released, following calls to the British embassy in Israel. Mr Shockat described how police officers in the West Bank walked towards their car pointing guns, with their fingers on the triggers. 'It was only after our local guide explained who we were that the guns were lowered, but the hands were still on the trigger,' he said. Their trip came as some European politicians face growing travel restrictions to Israel. This month, two Labour MPs were denied entry into Israel and deported, prompting outcry in Parliament and condemnation from the UK's Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Abtisam Mohamed, MP for Sheffield Central, in northern England, and Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley in Berkshire, in southern England, are members of the foreign affairs committee, which has been scrutinising the UK's foreign policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In France, a delegation of left-wing politicians saw their visas to Israel revoked by the Israeli authorities, two days before their planned trip. Mr George said he'd spoken to Mr Lammy ahead of his trip, and that believed that 'representations' made by the Foreign Office the Israeli authorities ensured the pair were allowed into Israel and the West Bank. The pair had been briefed by Foreign Office officials not to hand in their phones, should they be detained. They had also been advised to travel with phones and laptops that contained very little information. Mr George said he'd been 'anxious' throughout the trip, owing to statements he made criticising Israel's war in Gaza having been reported in Israeli media the week before. Mr George's constituency of St Ives is still reeling from the death of Cornishman James Henderson, an aid worker who was killed by Israeli air strike in Gaza in April 2024. 'The tragedy extends to our back door,' said Mr George. Letters from concerned constituents about the Israel-Gaza war compelled the MP to travel to Israel and Palestine. 'Although it isn't on our doorstep, it certainly is in people's minds. My constituents consistently view it as the epicentre of wider world conflict,' he said. Former Royal Marine Mr Henderson, 33, was active in sporting activities in West Cornwall, including boxing. 'He was well known and liked in our community in a way that resonated across West Cornwall. It caused a secondary grief,' said Mr George. He was among the seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen food relief non-governmental organisation who were killed in April last year in an attack on their convoy. Israel described the strike as a 'grave mistake' and apologised. Mr George called for further investigation into the attack, and said the UK government had not pressurised Israel sufficiently on the issues. 'We don't know that there is an investigation at the moment. We were promised it, but it really depends on the Israeli government,' he told The National. 'It was raised in the house the other day. The [UK] government is being excessively lily-livered as far as these issues are concerned,' he said. Mr George and Mr Shockat are expected to meet with Foreign Office ministers to brief them about their trip. They have called on the UK to impose stricter sanctions on Israel settlers in illegal settlements − including a ban on their goods − and for recognition of the Palestinian state. 'It's very clear that the majority of Labour backbenchers are on our side of the debate, and are actually pressing the government to do more to recognise the state of Palestine and to press for stronger action,' said Mr George. Though the Lib Dem MP has advocated for a two-state solution in the past, Palestinians he had met during his trip viewed the concept as 'no longer helpful, plausible or achievable'. 'I've advocated for it myself, but having now that I've visited the region, I can see why some see it as a waste of political energy … for those who are determined in securing long-term peace. It creates a veneer of purposefulness that seems too far off,' he said. Instead, he proposes a 'two-stage solution' that would see an end to the Israeli 'segregation' of Palestinians and equal rights for all, as a path towards two states. Mr Shockat warned that the West Bank could turn into the next Gaza. "We are one minute to midnight at this moment. If it's left unaddressed, it's going to have consequences − not for the region, but for the world," he said.