RAMALLAH, October 27, 2026 (WAFA) — Israeli authorities on Tuesday banned an international delegation comprising parliamentarians and political and academic figures from entering the occupied West Bank through the Allenby Crossing.

The delegation had been due to attend an international conference organized by the Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies at Birzeit University, which opens Tuesday under the title “Global South Solidarity and Resistance to Imperialism.”

In a press statement, Birzeit University said the delegation included 23 participants from several countries, among them British Labour MP Clive Lewis; Lara Bird, a member of the Scottish National Party; Scottish Green Party member of the Scottish Parliament Kate Nevens; Spanish senator Josu Estarrona Elizondo of EH Bildu; and former British MP Sam Tarry.

The university added that the delegation’s program was to include meetings with students, academics and representatives of Palestinian civil society organizations, as well as participation in activities in support of Palestinian farmers amid escalating Israeli settler attacks during the olive harvest season.

According to the organizers, Israeli authorities detained the delegation members and interrogated them for several hours before denying them entry to the West Bank.

The denial of entry comes amid restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on Palestinian institutions, including academic and educational institutions, and efforts to limit their engagement with international academics, parliamentarians and delegations. Such restrictions obstruct opportunities for academic exchange, cultural engagement and direct exposure to life under occupation.

The university stressed the importance of protecting academic freedom and communication, ensuring that Palestinian universities can remain connected to the international community, and enabling them to continue cooperating with academics, institutions and international figures who support the rights of the Palestinian people.

Y.S