By Jacob Jaffa
Copyright thejc
A pair of Labour MPs, including a Jewish backbencher, have been blocked from entering Israel in a move condemned by the Foreign Office as “totally unacceptable and deeply concerning”. Dr Peter Prinsley, who represents Bury St Edmunds, and Stroud MP Simon Opher claimed they were barred from entering the country on “public order” grounds. Prinsley is Jewish, and he and his family are active members of the Jewish community in Norwich. His wife, Dr Marian Prinsley, is president of Norwich Synagogue and served as sheriff of Norwich between 2019 and 2021. The ear, nose, and throat consultant is a member of the Jewish Labour Movement visited Israel earlier this year as part of a delegation organised by Labour Friends of Israel. The pair were due to cross into Israel from Jordan for a three-day visit organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu). It is understood they were set to meet a selection of Israeli and Palestinian officials, as well as British diplomats in the region. A Caabu spokesperson said: “It is deeply regrettable that Israeli authorities prevented them from seeing first-hand the grave challenges facing medical facilities in the region and from hearing the British government’s assessment of the situation on the ground.” The organisation added that the trip was planned to “enable members of parliament to witness the vital medical and humanitarian work of a range of organisations, including Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in the occupied West Bank”. As part of a joint statement, Opher said: “It’s very disappointing. We are both doctors and we were really just going to look at healthcare facilities in the West Bank to see if there was anything we could do to support them. “We weren’t in any way trying to undermine the Israelis, just trying to see what we could do in the West Bank.” A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “It is totally unacceptable and deeply concerning that yet again two British MPs have been denied entry to the occupied Palestinian territories by Israel. “Middle East Minister [Hamish] Falconer and officials have remained in contact with the MPs affected throughout. We are clear with Israel that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians.” It comes just a few months after two other Labour MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were detained at the Israeli border and deported back to the UK. In that case, Israeli authorities said the pair had “accused Israel of false claims, were actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers, and supported campaigns aimed at boycotting the State of Israel,” and that their visit was “intended to provoke anti-Israel activities”. The fresh row could provide a political headache for Tzachi Braverman, who was put forward as Israel’s new ambassador to London on Monday, replacing Tzipi Hotovely. Braverman, the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Netanyahu, still requires approval from the British government to take up the post. The JC has contacted the Israeli embassy in London for comment.
