Israel bars SNP MP and Green MSP from West Bank delegation
Israeli border officials refused entry to a delegation that included SNP MP Lara Bird and Green MSP Kate Nevens, saying its members had misrepresented their plans and intended to carry out political activities for social media attention. The dispute matters because the politicians and organiser Progressive International say the group was seeking to observe conditions in the occupied West Bank, while Israel says the decision was based on discrepancies in the visit details rather than their political views.
Israel’s embassy said the itinerary first provided focused mainly on Jerusalem, but the group intended to visit areas of heightened tension, including olive farms. Bird said she planned to support Palestinians harvesting olives and that the group was given no reason for being turned away; Progressive International accused Israel of blocking observers. The organiser did not confirm whether it paid travel and living costs, while an SNP source said it covered Bird’s entire trip and no public money was used.
In short
- Israel says the delegation’s plans changed and refused it entry.
- Bird said she intended to support Palestinians harvesting olives.
- The organiser’s funding details remain unclear.
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The case for
Israel can reasonably argue that visitors should provide accurate itineraries and that officials may refuse entry when declared plans differ materially from intended activities, especially in areas of heightened tension. If the group’s proposed visits and public-facing political activity were not disclosed clearly, enforcing that rule could be a matter of border control rather than viewpoint discrimination.
The case against
The politicians and Progressive International can reasonably argue that observing conditions in the occupied West Bank, including accompanying olive harvesters, is legitimate fact-finding and that restricting access limits scrutiny of Israeli policy. They say the group was turned away without a clear explanation, and the embassy’s claims about its plans do not by themselves establish that the itinerary was deliberately misrepresented.
Explained simply
The West Bank is a territory captured by Israel in 1967 and home to millions of Palestinians. Israel controls access to it, while Palestinians seek it as part of a future independent state; its status and the extent of Israeli control are disputed internationally.
Lara Bird is a member of the UK Parliament for the Scottish National Party, and Kate Nevens is a member of the Scottish Parliament for the Scottish Green Party. Progressive International is a political organisation that arranged the delegation, whose stated purpose was to visit Palestinian communities and observe conditions there.
Visits by foreign politicians can draw attention to life in the West Bank and to the competing claims over the territory. Israel’s rules on entry also shape who can visit and what activities they may undertake.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “SNP MP and Green MSP accused of plotting West Bank social media stunt by Israel”.