LONDON, September 17, 2025 (WAFA) - UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has criticized Israel's "shameful but not surprising" actions after two medically trained Members of Parliament were denied entry into the occupied West Bank.

He said in a post on X, “Having been on a number of delegations to Israel and Palestine, including with MedicalAidPalCaabu, I find the treatment of two highly respected clinicians and Members of Parliament by the Israeli government shameful, but no longer surprising.”

Streeting included in his post a statement from the Council for Arab-British Understanding, which stated that Israel prevented MPs Peter Brinsley and Simon Opher from traveling to the occupied West Bank.

The statement stated that the purpose of this visit, organized by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), was to enable Members of Parliament to witness the vital medical and humanitarian work of a range of organizations, including Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in the occupied West Bank.

The statement noted that Simon Opher and Peter Prinsley, both respected medical professionals, were travelling as part of the delegation, which was also due to meet British diplomats in Jerusalem, in addition to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.

“It is deeply regrettable that the Israeli authorities prevented them 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,” read the statement.

Access to the occupied Palestinian Territory requires passing through crossings controlled by Israel, the occupying power.

In recent months, Israel has prevented numerous parliamentarians and other figures from entering Palestine, citing their opposition to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

T.R.