LABOUR ministers are being “hypocritical” by calling out Israel blocking two MPs from entering the West Bank while not implementing any sanctions on the country.
Labour MPs Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang were denied entry to the occupied West Bank over the weekend, something Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he finds “deeply concerning”.
Lammy also said it was “disgraceful” Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was “cheerleading” another country for deporting two MPs as she said countries must be able to “control their borders” in Israel’s defence.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also expressed his solidarity with the MPs saying it is “no way to treat British parliamentarians”.
But Richard McNeil-Willson, an expert in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, said the UK Government is being “hypocritical” in condemning the move by Israel while not actioning any sanctions.
He also said there is hypocrisy in ministers calling out Israel only when the situation “starts to impact on them”.
“It’s absolute hypocrisy from the Labour Government,” said the Edinburgh University academic.
“As soon as it starts to impact on them, then it’s a problem, but up until that stage it’s fine, Palestinian life is [apparently] negatable, it doesn’t matter.”
Asked what it would take for the UK Government to impose sanctions on Israel, such as ending arms sales, McNeil-Willson added: “Genocide hasn’t been enough to substantively change the UK Government approach. The killing of British individuals is not enough.
“It’s the same as what is happening with Trump, it doesn’t matter if you cosy up to fascism, fascism will still come after you.
“I don’t have a lot of optimism about this government.”
McNeil-Willson said he is, however, sensing a “shift” towards more open debate about Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in journalism, academia and politics, particularly about the language of genocide as well as the “problems of Zionism, the problems of the Israeli state” and the question of understanding Israel as a “settler-colonial project”.
“I feel there’s been much more confidence about using that language because it’s now do or die for Palestinian people,” he went on.
“There is a genocide taking place in Gaza, there are Palestinians being forcibly removed from Palestine or pushed into concentrated camps as an attempt to suffocate Gaza, and I think now what has come from that is a much clearer global awareness that we have to do something.”
Mohamed and Yang said they were “astounded” at being denied entry to the West Bank, adding it was "vital" parliamentarians were able to witness the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory first-hand.
They were refused entry because they intended to "spread hate speech" against Israel, the nation's population and immigration authority said.
Yang and Mohamed flew to Israel from London Luton Airport with two aides on Saturday afternoon.
The Israeli immigration authority said Interior Minister Moshe Arbel denied entry to all four passengers after they were questioned. It accused them of travelling to "document the activity of security forces".
“It’s not about creating any narrative, it’s simply about documenting what is happening that is seen as an existential threat to Israel, because there’s that absolute attempt to shut that down by the Israeli state,” said McNeil-Willson.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
