Two British Labour MPs, Simon Opher and Peter Prinsley, found themselves at the center of a diplomatic controversy this week after being denied entry into Israel while attempting to visit the occupied West Bank as part of a parliamentary delegation. The incident, which occurred on Monday, September 15, 2025, has reignited debate over Israel’s treatment of visiting foreign officials and the wider implications for humanitarian oversight in the region.
Opher, the Member of Parliament for Stroud and chair of the all-party parliamentary group for health, and Prinsley, representing Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket and a veteran NHS surgeon, were on a three-day trip organized by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU). Their aim was straightforward: to witness, first-hand, the medical and humanitarian work being carried out by organizations such as Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in the West Bank, and to assess the challenges facing healthcare facilities in the region. The trip also included scheduled meetings with UK diplomats in Jerusalem and both Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.
But as they attempted to cross into Israel from Jordan, their plans unraveled. According to the BBC, the two MPs were detained at a passport office, handed a legal form demanding their immediate departure, and then escorted to a bus back to Jordan. Opher recounted, “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.” He added, “We weren’t in any way trying to undermine the Israelis, just trying to see what we could do in the West Bank” where, he said, healthcare was becoming increasingly difficult.
The Israeli authorities cited “public order” grounds for the denial, a justification that has become increasingly familiar in such cases. Opher told the BBC that efforts by the UK Foreign Office to intervene on their behalf were rejected by Israeli officials. In a joint statement, the two MPs described the situation as “deeply regrettable,” emphasizing that they were prevented 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 UK Foreign Office wasted little time in expressing its displeasure. In a statement, a spokesperson 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. 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.”
Chris Doyle, Director of CAABU, told the BBC that the organization has facilitated similar trips for parliamentarians for many years, and the recent spate of entry denials is “regrettable.” He stressed, “It is important that British politicians get to see the situation on the ground at a very serious time to determine what’s going on. It allows them to assess that situation and British policy towards it.”
This is not the first time such an incident has taken place. In April 2025, Labour MPs Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were also denied entry to Israel on a CAABU-organized delegation. The Israeli immigration ministry at the time accused the two of intending to “document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred.” Both MPs rejected the claims, declaring, “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 first hand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
The April incident drew a strong rebuke from then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who stated, “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.” Lammy added, “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.”
Yang and Mohamed also highlighted the broader implications for parliamentary freedom, saying, “Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons without fear of being targeted. We had come on an MPs’ delegation 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.”
The current controversy comes at a time of heightened tension in the region. On the very day Opher and Prinsley were denied entry, Israel was pushing ahead with a major ground offensive in Gaza City, a move that has drawn sharp international criticism and further complicated the diplomatic landscape. The timing has not gone unnoticed by observers, who see the denial of entry as part of a broader pattern of restricting oversight and scrutiny at a time of escalating conflict.
Both Opher and Prinsley, who were first elected to Parliament in 2024, bring with them decades of experience in healthcare. Opher, a former GP in Dursley, and Prinsley, with thirty years as an NHS surgeon, had hoped their professional backgrounds would lend credibility and a humanitarian focus to their visit. Instead, their exclusion has become another flashpoint in the ongoing debate over access and transparency in the occupied territories.
For CAABU and other advocacy organizations, the repeated denials raise serious questions about Israel’s willingness to allow independent assessment of conditions in the West Bank. Doyle’s comments underscore the stakes: “It is important that British politicians get to see the situation on the ground at a very serious time to determine what’s going on.”
The Israeli Embassy in London has been approached for comment but has not yet issued a public response. Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office maintains its position that such treatment of British parliamentarians is unacceptable and continues to press Israeli authorities for an explanation.
As the dust settles, the denied delegation serves as a stark reminder of the obstacles facing international scrutiny in the region. For Opher and Prinsley, the experience has been a frustrating one, but their message is clear: the need for independent, humanitarian oversight in the West Bank is more urgent than ever.