In 2008, under the UK’s Labour government, Israeli politician Moshe Feiglin – a Likud central committee member – was denied entry into Britain. Then home secretary Jacqui Smith cited public safety concerns, quoting Feiglin’s provocative articles and speeches as justification. There was no court appeal available to him, no diplomatic immunity by virtue of his office; he was simply barred, his presence deemed not ‘conducive to the public good’. Few, if any, in the British political establishment rushed to his defence.
Fast forward to today, and the diplomatic chaos caused over the weekend by two Labour MPs, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, being denied entry into Israel. The reason: Israeli authorities accused them of intending to ‘document Israeli security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred’, during a time of existential war, when Israel faces attacks across multiple fronts and relentless scrutiny and criticism abroad. Yuan and Mohamed say they had travelled to ‘visit humanitarian aid projects and communities in the West Bank’ with ‘UK charity partners who have over a decade of experience in taking parliamentary delegations’.Unsurprisingly,
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in