JERUSALEM, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Two British Labour Party members of Parliament, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were denied entry to Israel and deported on Saturday at Ben Gurion International Airport, by decision of Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority said in a statement Saturday night that an investigation revealed the purpose of the two and their two assistants' arrival was to document security forces and spread "hate speech" against Israel.

According to the statement, the four who arrived in Israel on a flight from London claimed to be part of an official parliamentary delegation, but no Israeli officials were aware of the arrival of any such delegation.

Following the incident, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy released a statement saying that "it is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities."

He stated, "I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support." Enditem

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