The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has called Israel’s decision to bar entry to MEPs Rima Hassan and Lynn Boylan “outrageous”, saying it was a “calculated move to prevent European officials from witnessing firsthand the atrocities it is committing against the Palestinian people”, Al Jazeera reports.

The two legislators, who are both critical of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, were expelled upon their arrival at the Tel Aviv airport on Monday.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said both parliamentarians were travelling as part of an official EU delegation to Palestine and that Israel had “no sovereignty” over and no legal right to deny access to the occupied territory.

“We call on the European Parliament and the European Union to respond decisively to this provocation,” the ministry said. “Israel must face consequences for its actions. The European Parliament should impose reciprocal measures, including barring Israeli representatives from its premises. It is time for Europe to stop treating Israel as a state above the law.”

Earlier, the Israeli Interior Ministry said it was barring Hassan because she “consistently works to promote boycotts against Israel”.