MPs and MSP detained by Israel and barred from entering West Bank

Two MPs and an MSP have said they were detained by Israeli authorities for eight hours while trying to enter the West Bank.

SNP MP Lara Bird, Labour MP Clive Lewis and Scottish Greens MSP Kate Nevens said they were prevented from entering the territory on Monday before being questioned and eventually turned away.

Bird said in a social media post that they had intended to "stand alongside Palestinians being attacked for harvesting olives on their own land".

They had travelled to the region as part of a Progressive International delegation that also included ex-Labour MP Sam Tarry and a former member of the Basque senate.

The Israeli military announced on Monday that all West Bank land crossings would be closed as part of increased security measures during Tuesday's national elections .

Posting on Instagram, Bird, the MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, said the 23-strong group was "interrogated and ultimately prevented from crossing" the King Hussein Bridge between Jordan and the West Bank.

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Lewis, who represents Norwich South, said the group had been "made to feel as though they had done something wrong" in a post on X.

He added: "We knew that by crossing into the occupied Palestinian territories, we risked being detained, interrogated and turned away by Israeli authorities. And that, alas, is exactly what happened.

"The simple truth is we had done nothing wrong. We went to show our support for the Palestinian people and highlight the terrible injustice and violence being perpetrated against them."

Nevens described the experience as "frightening" but added that the group was able to "leave safely".

She said: "What we experienced was only a small fraction of the terrifying reality Palestinians face when they try to cross the same border to reach their families or simply go about their lives."

About 2,000 Palestinian residents have been displaced in Hebron, a city in the southern West Bank, in recent days.

Footage shared online appeared to show one street being completely flattened by bulldozers .

That came as a reprisal for the killing of two Israeli soldiers by Palestinian gunmen.

Several other attacks on Palestinians during the annual olive harvest have also been reported in the run-up to the elections.

They are the first since the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the Commons the UK government was "deeply concerned" about MPs and MSP being denied access to the West Bank.

He said the government had raised the issue with the Israeli authorities and had been in touch with the MPs to offer assistance.

"More broadly, it's very, very important that members of this House, as they go about their business – not just in the UK but internationally – have free access so that they can actually do their duties," he said.

A spokesperson for the SNP said the party was "proud to stand with the Palestinian people".

The Israeli embassy has been contacted for comment.