Clive Lewis and Lara Bird Say Israel Denied Them Entry to West Bank

British MPs Clive Lewis and Lara Bird said Israeli authorities prevented them from entering the West Bank on Monday, October 26. They were travelling with a Progressive International delegation that included other European elected representatives. The lawmakers described the refusal in separate public statements that evening. Lewis said the visit was intended to bring the delegation into contact with Palestinian students and civil-society leaders. Bird said she and parliamentary colleagues from across Europe were stopped. “We were held for 8 hours, interrogated and ultimately prevented from crossing the border,” Bird wrote. The account of the questioning and its duration is hers. The delegation attempted to enter via Jordan on Monday evening. Lewis represents Norwich South, while Bird, an SNP MP, represents Arbroath and Broughty Ferry. Three other European elected representatives were also refused entry. Their planned programme included accompanying Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest. This follows a separate entry refusal involving British MPs Peter Prinsley and Simon Opher in September 2025. The two lawmakers said they had been denied entry during a parliamentary delegation to the West Bank. That earlier visit and the Progressive International delegation were separate journeys.