A delegation that included Scottish politicians was refused entry to the West Bank after Israeli officials accused its members of planning “intentional provocation for social media clout” in areas experiencing heightened tensions.
SNP MP Lara Bird and Green MSP Kate Nevens were among those turned away by Israeli border officials as they attempted to enter the territory.
The Israeli Embassy in the UK, which said last week that the group had failed to co-operate and supplied false information, has now given the Mail further details about the decision to deny them entry.
The embassy said the delegation had misrepresented its plans, with the itinerary submitted before the trip differing from the activities the group actually intended to undertake. It also raised concerns that members planned to heighten tensions through social media footage.
Progressive International, which organised the delegation, again declined yesterday to say whether public money had been used for the cancelled trip. It said, however, that participants would make parliamentary declarations in the normal way.
An SNP source said Progressive International had paid for Ms Bird’s entire trip and that no public funds had been used.
SNP MP Lara Bird was among those refused entry by Israeli border officials
Green MSP Kate Nevens was also part of the delegation, which faced fierce criticism
A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in the UK said: “The group, which included MPs and an MSP, did not coordinate its visit in advance and, upon arriving at the border, provided misleading information about the purpose of the trip.
“Routine questioning by border agents revealed that the itinerary initially provided did not reflect the group’s actual plans, which included political activities and intentional provocation for social media clout. The group was therefore refused entry to Israel.
“Israel welcomes dialogue, open communication and constructive engagement. However, such engagement must be based on honesty and transparency, rather than misrepresentation. Like any sovereign state, Israel has the right and responsibility to verify the identity, intentions and activities of people seeking to enter its territory, and to refuse entry when there are reasonable grounds to do so.
“It is therefore misleading to describe this incident as an arbitrary attempt to silence foreign politicians or stop them from hearing different perspectives. The issue was not their political views, but the lack of transparency surrounding the visit and the discrepancies between the purpose initially declared and the activities the group intended to carry out.”
It is understood that the itinerary submitted to Israeli authorities initially indicated that the delegation would be based mainly in the Jerusalem area. Officials later learned that the group intended to visit areas of heightened tension, including olive farms.
Earlier last month, New York Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander was among those detained after working with olive harvest groups in the West Bank in an incident described as a “calculated political stunt”.
Ms Bird, who was elected earlier this year for the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry constituency, said on social media that she had intended to “stand alongside Palestinians being attacked for harvesting olives on their own land”. She said the group had been turned away “with no reason given”.
A spokesman for Progressive International said: “Israeli authorities prevented the delegation from bearing witness to its occupation of the West Bank.
“The claim that ‘Israel welcomes dialogue, open communication and constructive engagement’ is laughable when it denies access to international observers to its ethnic cleansing of the West Bank and genocide in Gaza.”
Progressive International declined to confirm whether it had covered the delegation’s travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses, saying only that delegates would make declarations to their respective parliaments in the usual manner.
However, when asked about Ms Bird’s costs, an SNP official said Progressive International had paid for the entire trip and that no public money had been spent.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton last week accused Ms Bird and Ms Nevens of “political grandstanding”. She said their “posturing” was “an insult to their constituents, who expect their elected representatives to be doing their job at home”.
Reform MSP Angela Ross also condemned ‘performative grandstanding’ and ‘misplaced priorities’.
The Scottish Greens have been asked for comment.