Latest news with #AbtisamMohamed
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Keir doubles down on migration pledge as new raft of small boats arrive hours after ‘take back borders' promise
LEFT-WING Labour MPs have attacked Sir Keir Starmer for warning Britain would become 'an island of strangers' due to mass migration. The PM today faced down a growing backbench revolt over his measures to curb arrivals by 100,000 each year. 3 3 He doubled down as a poll showed that immigration is the most pressing concern for voters - even more than the economy. And both Tories and Reform criticised Sir Keir for not going far enough nor appreciating that the country has already been changed irrevocably by a soaring population. It came as more small boat migrants were seen being taken ashore by Border Force - with the number of Channel crossings passing 12,000 for the year. The PM's remarks yesterday that rampant migration risked the UK becoming 'an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'. It was met with fury from some Labour MPs, with Abtisam Mohamed blasting: 'Sheffield Central is not 'an island of strangers.' 'We are a mosaic of neighbours, friends and families from across the world. We all cooperate and contribute to our community.' Fellow MP Nadia Whittome piled in: 'To suggest that Britain risks becoming 'an island of strangers' because of immigration mimics the scaremongering of the far-right.' Some even compared his language to that of Enoch Powell, whose Rivers of Blood speech warned people would find themselves 'strangers in their own country'. Downing Street today categorically denied Sir Keir was making a reference to the infamous 1968 speech, but stood by the remarks. Staring down squeamish Labour MPs, the PM's spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister has made his arguments, which he obviously stands behind. 'The public rightly expect the government to bring order and control back to the immigration system, something that was lost under the previous government.' Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said Britain was 'already an island of strangers' and that yesterday's crackdown was too timid. The former Immigration Minister told Times Radio: 'I think it's true. In fact, I think in some places we already are. Aggressive levels of mass migration have made us more divided." A YouGov poll today found that the public view immigration as their number one issue - rising to the highest level since the 2016 Brexit vote. It has overtaken the economy as the most pressing concern, and is well ahead of the NHS and crime.
Middle East Eye
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Opinion: Deportation of British MPs aims to hide Israeli crimes
For the first time in history, the Israeli government has deported two elected British members of parliament. While it has previously denied entry to politicians from other countries, including two members of the European Parliament in February, it had never before done so in the case of Britain, which is theoretically an ally of Israel. The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) has organised and escorted dozens of British parliamentary delegations to the Middle East in recent decades, especially to the occupied Palestinian territories. It came as a shock to learn of the deportations. The delegation, organised jointly with Medical Aid for Palestinians, included two British Labour members of parliament, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang. Elected just last year, neither had previously visited Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories. Their weekend ordeal of detention, interrogation and deportation was, of course, nothing in comparison to what Palestinians in the occupied territories endure on a regular basis. Israeli forces patrol the occupied West Bank in September 2021 (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
Middle East Eye
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Deportation of British MPs aims to hide Israeli crimes
For the first time in history, the Israeli government has deported two elected British members of parliament. While it has previously denied entry to politicians from other countries, including two members of the European Parliament in February, it had never before done so in the case of Britain, which is theoretically an ally of Israel. The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) has organised and escorted dozens of British parliamentary delegations to the Middle East in recent decades, especially to the occupied Palestinian territories. It came as a shock to learn of the deportations. The delegation, organised jointly with Medical Aid for Palestinians, included two British Labour members of parliament, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang. Elected just last year, neither had previously visited Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories. Their weekend ordeal of detention, interrogation and deportation was, of course, nothing in comparison to what Palestinians in the occupied territories endure on a regular basis. Israel's official explanation for refusing entry to the two MPs was simply false, asserting that the delegation was visiting Israel to 'document the security forces and to spread hate speech against Israel'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Their deportation forms stated that it was done for the 'prevention of illegal immigration considerations'. But all members of the delegation had received Israeli travel authorisation prior to their arrival - so Israeli authorities knew the delegates were coming and what they would be doing. Another red herring was Israel's claim that this was not an 'official delegation'. This is hardly grounds for deportation. Since 1997, Caabu has taken 161 parliamentary delegates to the occupied Palestinian territories. None were official delegations, but they included party leaders, ministers and chairs of select committees. No participants have ever complained that they were brought on a propaganda tour designed to spread hatred. Conservative Friends of Israel also organises delegations to the region without issue. The group says it has coordinated 24 delegations to Israel for more than 180 Conservatives over the past decade. Extraordinary reactions Caabu's delegations aim to offer participants a first-hand look at the situation on the ground, including visits to Palestinian communities and humanitarian projects. Mohamed and Yang would have visited a hospital, a mobile clinic, and a disability project in a refugee camp. They would have spoken with Bedouins facing settler violence and forcible displacement. They would have met representatives of humanitarian agencies, such as Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, and the West Bank Protection Consortium, which receives British funding. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war They would have met staff of the Israeli rights group B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch. In a delegation focused on humanitarian issues and civil society, they would have held meetings with UN agencies and British diplomats. The real reason for the deportations was clearly the views of the delegates and who they planned to visit. 'We were denied entry based on our legitimate political opinions, which are firmly aligned with international law,' Mohamed told parliament. Which MPs will be banned next? Will Israel provide a list? Gaza is already closed off ... Is this the future for the occupied West Bank? The British government has backed the MPs, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy calling their deportations 'unacceptable' and 'counterproductive'. What was extraordinary, however, were the reactions of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Wendy Morton, the shadow foreign minister, as they backed Israel's decision and showed no sympathy for the ordeal of their fellow parliamentarians. Badenoch and Morton would do well to consider that many senior Conservative MPs have been on Caabu delegations. The itineraries are similar to the programmes followed by select committees on official visits. Morton argued that Israel has the right to deny entry to anyone visiting Israel, citing the UK Foreign Office's warning that 'some visitors may face longer searches and questioning, including those who are considered to have publicly criticised the State of Israel'. Nobody has argued that Israel does not have that right. This is an absurd argument. Israel can expel the UK or even the US ambassador if it so chooses, but that would not make it a friendly or justifiable action. As Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said: 'It is no way to treat democratically elected representatives of a close partner nation.' Where does this end? Parliamentarians have no choice but to go through Israeli border controls to get to the occupied West Bank. Banning MPs from entry prevents them from making an assessment of this conflict, including how hundreds of millions of pounds of British taxpayers' money has been spent. The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, with a legal and moral duty to push to resolve such conflicts, and to stand up for international law. By deporting British MPs, Israel has exposed its brutal border policies to the world Read More » Where does this end? Which MPs will be banned next? Will Israel provide a list? Gaza is already closed off; diplomats, journalists, politicians, human rights groups and aid agencies cannot access it. Is this the future for the occupied West Bank? This incident highlights the increasingly authoritarian tendencies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. His regime ignores international law, slanders the UN, and treats even its allies with contempt. Members of the Israeli public have been demonstrating against this government in ever-greater numbers. The biggest issue, however, is what this means for Palestinians, who are being increasingly isolated and cut off from the world. UN agencies have less freedom of operations, and humanitarian agencies face draconian Israeli registration procedures. Today more than ever, Palestinians are vulnerable, exposed to the most extreme right-wing government in Israel's history, backed by the most extreme regime in American history. The question Israel should be made to answer is this: what does it have to hide? This applies to both Gaza and the occupied West Bank. As Israeli leaders stand accused of the most serious crimes at the world's highest courts - including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide - this cover-up will only give credence to those allegations. If Israel wants to counter the accusations, then it must stop denying entry to the occupied Palestinian territories. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Jordan Times
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
UK MP accuses Israel of 'censorship' over denied entry
Children stand inside a heavily damaged building in a residential area in Deir Al Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 7, 2025, following overnight Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (AFP photo) LONDON — One of two British lawmakers who were denied entry into Israel at the weekend accused the Israeli government on Monday of being motivated by "control and censorship". Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, from the governing Labour Party, flew from London to Israel on Saturday but were blocked from entering the country and deported. The pair had been due to visit the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. "This act was not just a diplomatic affront. This wasn't about security. It was about control and censorship," Mohamed told the UK parliament. She added that it had been "a challenging few days". Yang said she had not anticipated "the risks of detention and deportation from a British ally". "People around the world are listening to us, our voice is powerful, and we must continue to use it without fear or favour," she told MPs. Delivering a statement on the incident to lawmakers, UK Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said it was likely the fist time that British MPs had been "barred" from entering Israel. "It is no way to treat democratically elected representatives of a close partner nation. We have made this clear at the highest levels in Israel," he said. Falconer said the Israel government's decision had apparently been taken based on comments the two MPs had made in the House of Commons. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday called the move "unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning". But Israel said the lawmakers' claim to be part of an official parliamentary delegation was "found to be false, as no official body in Israel was aware of such a delegation's visit". "Further questioning revealed that the purpose of their visit was to document the actions of Israeli security forces and spread hate speech against Israel," the interior ministry statement said in a statement. Israel resumed intense strikes on Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Efforts to restore the truce have so far failed. According to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, at least 1,391 Palestinians have been killed in the renewed Israeli operations, taking the overall death toll since the start of the war to 50,752.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel blocks 2 British lawmakers from entering country
Israel blocked two British lawmakers from coming into the county, the two politicians said in a statement posted to social media Sunday. 'We're astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities to refuse British MPs entry on our trip to visit the occupied West Bank. It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness, firsthand, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory,' Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, both members of Parliament and the Labour Party, said in a statement posted to the social platform X. 'We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in Parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with International Humanitarian Law,' they added. Israel has taken steps to block other lawmakers from entering the country in the past. In 2019, Israel announced that it would not allow Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to enter the country ahead of a trip they were set to take. The two House members have a history of pro-Palestinian activism and criticizing Israel. Late last year, Israeli officials became upset over a decision by the U.K. to quickly stop some of its arms exports to Israel, which the U.K did because the arms exports could be used for a 'serious violation' of international humanitarian law amid Israel's war in Gaza. '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,' U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement Saturday. 'I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support,' he added. 'The UK government's focus remains securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza.' The Hill has reached out to the Israeli government for comment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived Sunday evening for a visit to Washington, D.C. He is likely to discuss the situation in Gaza in his meetings with U.S. officials, as well as tariffs imposed on his country by President Trump. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
