Two British members of parliament who were denied entry to Israel say they are “astounded” by the decision, Al Jazeera reports.

“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,” Labour politicians Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang said in a joint statement on X.

“It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness first-hand the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

They added: “We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with international humanitarian law.

“Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted.”