Tag: genocide

Scotland stands with Palestine: SNP government taking action to end genocide

UK GOVERNMENT MUST END ARMS SALES & RECOGNISE PALESTINE

Gordon Macdonald MSP has echoed First Minister John Swinney’s powerful statement on Palestine, urging the UK Government to take immediate action and outlining the action that the SNP will take with the powers Scotland has.

The genocide in Palestine has already claimed more than 63,000 lives. Famine is spreading throughout a ruined Gaza. While the Palestinian flag was raised at St Andrew’s House the First Minister set out Scotland’s humanitarian response and demanded action from Starmer’s government.

The SNP is demanding that the Labour UK government:

  • Immediately recognise the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders.
  • End all arms sales to Israel and withdraw from the UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement
  • Impose sanctions on members of the Israeli government complicit in war crimes and illegal settlements
  • Ban imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements, following Ireland’s lead
  • Support international justice, including backing South Africa’s case at the ICJ and implementing ICC arrest warrants.

The actions that will be taken by the SNP Scottish Government include:

  • Trade and arms restrictions: New public funding will be paused for arms companies whose products are linked to states accused of genocide, including Israel. Any defence companies seeking support from the Scottish Government must prove that they are not supplying the Israeli military.
  • Medical support for children: Scotland will provide treatment for up to 20 injured children from Gaza, who will arrive with their families to Scotland from mid-September.
  • Support for students: working with universities to ensure Gazan students can attend Scottish universities if offered a place.
  • Justice and accountability: exploring how Scotland’s legal community, universities, and civil society can contribute to preserving evidence for international criminal cases.

Commenting, Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “Scotland will not stand by while genocide unfolds before our eyes. The SNP is ensuring that Scotland stands with Palestine by delivering real action.

“We’re sending humanitarian aid, treating injured children, supporting students, and halting public funding for companies linked to Israel’s war machine.”

“The Labour UK government must recognise the State of Palestine, end arms sales to Israel, and impose sanctions on Israeli war criminals. Anything less is a betrayal of international law and of basic human decency.

“The people of Scotland expect their leaders to speak out for justice and humanity. The SNP will always stand for peace, for dignity, and for a future where every life is valued equally.”

Support for defence companies involved in Israel halted

“In the face of genocide, there can be no ‘business as usual’” – First Minister

New awards of public money to defence companies involved with Israel will be halted, First Minister John Swinney announced yesterday as he set out a package of new economic, humanitarian and diplomatic measures in response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

As the death toll in Gaza passes 63,000, the First Minister reiterated his concern at genocide unfolding in Gaza. He set out a package of measures including:

  • New awards of public money will be paused to defence companies whose products or services are provided to countries where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed by that country, including Israel.
  • Instructing relevant delivery bodies such as Scottish Enterprise where possible to not provide support for trade between Scotland and Israel.
  • £400,000 to Kids Operating Room to establish the Gaza HOPES Field Readiness Hub – a rapidly deployable hospital in Gaza to provide essential surgical, maternity and paediatric services.
  • £600,000 to the UNOCHA led Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territories to provide life-saving health services, food and nutrition assistance, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, protection services, education support and cash for families.
  • Calling for the UK Government to recognise the State of Palestine, withdraw from the existing Free Trade Agreement with Israel, end all military cooperation with Israel while the war continues, and prohibit the import of goods produced in illegal settlements.

In light of Russia’s invasion of and continued war against Ukraine the Scottish Government will lift the restriction previously applied to the use of public support for the production of munitions.

This will not be available to companies which fail to demonstrate that their products are not involved militarily with Israel or other countries implicated in genocide.

The First Minister said: “The situation in Gaza is a man-made humanitarian catastrophe. We must confront this crisis with urgency, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to accountability.

“This Government has consistently and unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas. We have joined the international community in demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

“But I share the concerns of other countries and international leaders that a genocide appears to be unfolding in Gaza.  The legal determination of genocide is the responsibility of international courts. But, governments must act now.

“Defending our country – defending our continent – is a duty of government.

“Anyone watching the ongoing war in Ukraine would, I hope, recognise the reality of the importance of defence. Indeed, the invasion shows we live in a world in which our national security faces much greater and more immediate threats.

“In recognition of that changed international landscape, the Scottish Government will lift the restriction we have applied on the use of support for the production of munitions.

“But, in the face of genocide, there can be no ‘business as usual’.

“We are instructing relevant delivery bodies where possible not to provide support facilitating trade between Scotland and Israel.

“We will pause new awards of public money to defence companies whose products or services are provided to countries where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed by that country. That will include Israel.

“Any defence company seeking support from the Scottish Government will have to demonstrate that its products are not involved militarily with Israel.

“And Scotland will directly address humanitarian need.  We have a long history of helping those in desperate need and we will not be found wanting now. I can announce today that we will provide £400,000 to establish the Gaza HOPES Field Readiness Hub in Scotland.

“We will also donate £600,000 to the UNOCHA led Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territories which will provide life-saving health services, food and nutrition assistance, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, protection services, education support and cash for families, ensuring aid reaches those most at risk.

“We have also committed to providing medical support for up to 20 injured children from Gaza and expect the first arrivals along with their families in mid-September. 

“We are witnessing a humanitarian disaster of historic proportions. And yet, the bombs continue to fall.

“The world cannot wait for a final court ruling before acting. The signs are clear. The alarm has been raised.

“The bombs and rockets must stop.  Humanitarian aid must flow. 

“The international community, including the UK Government, must recognise a Palestinian state as the first step towards peace and a two-state solution. A solution where the peoples of both Israel and Palestine can live side-by-side in peace and security.

“Acknowledging that we are witnessing the signs of genocide brings with it a responsibility to act. The people of Scotland expect no less of us.

“Scotland will always raise her voice in favour of peace and humanity.”

Situation in Gaza: First Minister’s statement – gov.scot

Jewish Council of Scotland expresses concern

Response to the Scottish First Minister John Swinney’s Parliamentary Statement on the Situation in Gaza of 3rd September 2025 from Timothy Lovat, Chair, Jewish Council of Scotland

Timothy Lovat, Chair, Jewish Council of Scotland, said: “It is disappointing that despite his warm and reassuring words when we met with him and Angus Roberston on Monday, the First Minister has chosen to express a position that we are concerned will undermine the safety, security and well-being of the Jewish community in Scotland.

“We set out our concerns in writing to the First Minister‘s office yesterday and will continue to engage with the Scottish Government and other stakeholders to safeguard our community’s welfare and future in Scotland.” 

THE JEWISH COUNCIL OF SCOTLAND’S LETTER READS:

Letter from Jewish Council of Scotland to First Minister, in Response to Yesterday’s Statement

2nd September 2025   

Dear First Minister,      

Thank you for meeting representatives of the Jewish community in Scotland yesterday.      

We welcome your stated commitment to the safety and well-being of our community.       

You also indicated at our meeting that you planned to make an intervention tomorrow, Wednesday  3rd September, relating to your view that Israel is engaged in the commission of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.      

As recognised during our meeting, the language used in public discourse matters greatly. In consequence, those who lead our country and our community have an especially significant role in setting the tone of public debate, including ensuring that they use language carefully and responsibly.      

In light of this shared recognition, it is important to us to bring to your attention our concerns about the implications of such a proposed intervention for us and our community.      

It is indisputable that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. It is equally beyond debate that both Israel and Hamas bear responsibility for this tragic situation. For you to assert as First Minister of Scotland that Israel is engaged in a genocidal campaign against Palestinians, however, would, in our view, be irresponsible.      

Ultimately, of course, only a competent court may determine whether and if so how the Genocide Convention may have been breached by Israel.      

More seriously in local terms, however, while any position you or the Scottish Government might take on the matter is unlikely to have any impact on the situation in Gaza, it is likely to have significant negative implications for our community here in Scotland.      

In particular, setting out a stance likely to be publicly perceived simply and without qualification as anti-Israel, without drawing any distinction between the state of Israel and its current leadership, or acknowledging the continuing culpability of Hamas, is likely to have a far greater and more immediate impact locally, fuelling “antizionist” – and antisemitic – hatred and discrimination against Scotland’s Jews and our institutions and symbols, than it is on the situation in the Middle East, let alone in Westminster.      

Indeed, it would be a tragic irony were our communal institutions, including Scotland’s only Jewish primary school, required to upgrade security provision in consequence of interventions by the Scottish Government and its leadership.      

Like you, the vast majority of Jews around the world are Zionists – supporters of the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in our ancestral homeland. Moreover, and again like you, our community and our institutions are committed to the realisation of a two-state solution, with a secure Israel existing alongside a viable Palestinian state.      

Rather than risk increasing fear, anxiety, and trauma in our community, we would respectfully ask you to work with us to promote that vision in a principled, pragmatic, and constructive manner.      

We thank you again for your engagement and for your continued commitment to the dignity and safety of all communities in Scotland.      

Yours faithfully        

Jewish Council of Scotland  

Israeli plans to smash Gaza: Foreign Ministers issue Joint Statement

Joint Statement from the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom strongly reject the decision of the Israeli Security Cabinet on 8th August to launch an additional large-scale military operation in Gaza.

It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians. The plans that the Government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law. Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law.

We urge the parties and the international community to make all efforts to finally bring this terrible conflict to an end now, through an immediate and permanent ceasefire that enables the provision of a massive, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian assistance, as the worst-case scenario of a famine is unfolding in Gaza. Hamas must release all hostages without further delay or precondition and must ensure they are humanely treated and not subject to cruelty and humiliation.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. We call on the Government of Israel to urgently find solutions to amend its recent registration system of international humanitarian organisations, to ensure these vital actors of humanitarian aid can continue their essential work again in line with humanitarian principles to reach the civilians in need in Gaza. Their exclusion would be an egregious signal.

We are united in our commitment to the implementation of a negotiated two-state solution as the only way to guarantee that both Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace, security, and dignity.

A political resolution based on a negotiated two-state solution requires the total demilitarisation of Hamas and its complete exclusion from any form of governance in the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian Authority must have a central role.

IT’S worth noting that the United States is NOT a signatory. And the US is perhaps the only country that Netanyahu listens to. The slaughter will go on … and all the while our UK government continues to provide arms to Israel.

‘The Israeli aid system is inhumane, ineffective, dangerous and fuelling instability’

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council open debate on the Middle East Peace Process:

‘My Foreign Secretary has been unequivocal: the war in Gaza must end now. Hamas and Israel must both commit to a ceasefire now.

‘A ceasefire is within reach and we urge all sides to make it a reality, to secure the release of the hostages, who have been cruelly held by Hamas since 7 October, and to end the appalling suffering of Palestinian civilians.

‘I will make three points.

‘First, the Israeli aid system is inhumane, ineffective, dangerous and fuelling instability. Reports and images this week of children dying from starvation are beyond horrific.

‘The IDF is shooting at desperate Palestinian civilians on an almost daily basis. Hamas is exploiting this disorder.

‘We call on Israel to end these attacks, hold those responsible to account and to work with the UN to implement effective aid distribution in line with humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law.

‘And let me reaffirm the UK’s firm and unequivocal support for the UN and OCHA in their brave efforts to get aid into Gaza.

‘We also condemn recent strikes on the WHO in Deir al Balah. Humanitarians and civilians must be protected.

‘Second, we condemn Defence Minister Katz’s proposals of forced displacement to Rafah.

‘Illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank continues at pace as well as settler violence, and even terrorism, against Palestinians. This is an accelerating campaign to prevent a Palestinian state.

‘We condemn these attacks and call for Israel to hold its citizens to account.

‘We also oppose the reintroduction of the E1 settlement plan, which is a flagrant breach of international law.

‘Third, we are clear that Hamas must play no future role in the governance of Gaza or be able to threaten Israel’s security again.

‘However, the organisation which represents a credible alternative to Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, is being undermined by Israeli actions.

‘Israel is withholding $2.6 billion in clearance revenues, crippling the Palestinian economy and pushing essential health and education services to the brink. This is not conducive to Israel’s security.

‘President, the United Kingdom is resolute in our commitment to a two-state solution and my Foreign Secretary has been clear that we are prepared to take further action to prevent the forcible erosion of the only viable path to lasting peace.

‘Next week’s conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is a vital opportunity to demonstrate the strength of international resolve to secure a better future for Israelis, Palestinians and the region.’

MORE FINE WORDS, BUT CONDEMNATION ALONE WILL NOT SAVE A SINGLE LIFE. OUR GOVERNMENT KNOWS FULL WELL THAT ACTION IS LONG OVERDUE – AND THE UK CONTINUES TO SUPPORT AND PROVIDE ARMS TO ISRAEL.

WE ARE COMPLICIT IN ISRAEL’s WAR CRIMES.

HOW MANY MORE CIVILIANS WILL BE SLAUGHTERED OR DIE THROUGH STARVATION BEFORE NEXT WEEK’S ‘VITAL’ CONFERENCE – Ed.?

UK Government: ‘Israel – lift the block on aid entering Gaza NOW’

Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer made a statement to the House of Commons on Gaza Yesterday

Mr Speaker,

Yesterday, alongside partners, the UK convened a meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the intolerable civilian suffering and humanitarian need in Gaza.

As I told this House yesterday, Israel’s denial of aid is appalling. 

Tonnes of food are currently sitting rotting at the Gaza/Israel border, blocked from reaching people who are starving.

Israeli Ministers have said Israel’s decision to block this aid is a “pressure lever”.

This is cruel and it is indefensible.

Overnight yet more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes.

This must end.

The message yesterday was clear.

The world wants Israel to stop and change course immediately.

With our allies we are telling the Government of Israel:  lift the block on aid entering Gaza now. Enable the UN and all humanitarians to save lives, now. We need an immediate ceasefire, now.

Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool or military tactic. And the UK will not support any aid mechanism that seeks to deliver political or military objectives or puts vulnerable civilians at risk.

The International Court of Justice case on genocide is ongoing. Mr Speaker, We support the ICJ. We support its independence.

The ICJ issued a set of provisional measures in this case and we support those measures.

Israel has an obligation to implement them.

It is the UK government’s long-standing position that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies.

The UK is fully committed to upholding our responsibilities under domestic and international law.

And we have at all times acted in a manner consistent with our legal obligations, including under the Genocide Convention.

The devastation from this conflict must end.

Our complete focus is on lifting Israeli restrictions on aid, On freeing the hostages held by Hamas, On protecting civilians, And on restoring the ceasefire.

We will work urgently with our allies and partners on further pressure to make Israel change course.

Time To Divest!

PROTEST TONIGHT at 6pm HAYMARKET SQUARE

Join us at 6pm tonight for a demonstration outside the offices of the Lothian Pension Fund Committee at 9 Haymarket Square.

Let’s make the councillors who sit on the LPF feel the pressure for divestment that is building globally.

Light the Darkness on Holocaust Memorial Day

At 8pm tonight – 27 January – join us to Light the Darkness for #HMD2025.

On Monday, people will light candles and place them safely in their windows to remember those who were murdered for who they were, and stand against prejudice and hatred today.

#LightTheDarkness

#HolocaustMemorialDay.

On #HolocaustMemorialDay First Minister

Scotland’s First Minister @JohnSwinney has honoured the millions of Jewish people that were murdered at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust.

He paid tribute to everyone who continues to be affected by the Holocaust and genocide across the world:

NEVER AGAIN

The Prime Minister visited Auschwitz on Friday, accompanied by his wife Victoria Starmer

Nothing could prepare me for the sheer horror of what I have seen in this place. It is utterly harrowing. The mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases, the names and details, everything that was so meticulously kept, except for human life.

As I stood by the train tracks at Birkenau, looking across that cold, vast expanse, I felt a sickness, an air of desolation, as I tried to comprehend the enormity of this barbarous, planned, industrialised murder: a million people killed here for one reason, simply because they were Jewish.

My visit today has also shown me more clearly than ever before, how this was not the evil deeds of a few bad individuals. It took a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary people who each played their part in constructing this whole industry of death.

To build the tracks, drive the trains, extract the hair and teeth, conceive the method of mass murder – each stomach-churning step rooted in the hatred of difference. The lessons of this darkest of crimes are the ultimate warning to humanity of where prejudice can lead.

My wife was equally moved by what she saw today. It was her second visit, but no less harrowing than the first time she stepped through that gate and witnessed the depravity of what happened here. 

Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say “never again”. But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world in aftermath of October 7th? Where is never again, when the pulse of fear is beating in our own Jewish community, as people are despicably targeted once again for the very same reason, because they are Jewish.

The truth that I have seen here today will stay with me for the rest of my life. So too, will my determination to defend that truth, to fight the poison of antisemitism and hatred in all its forms, and to do everything I can to make “never again” mean what it says, and what it must truly mean: never again.

Stop The War Demonstration

SATURDAY 23rd NOVEMBER at NOON

Join the national demonstration in Glasgow this Saturday 23 November against Israel’s escalating war in the Middle East!

The UK Labour Government continues to support Israel despite condemnation at the United Nations and the massive anti-war movement on the streets around the world.

We need to make this protest as big as possible to say Not in Our Name and put pressure on the Scottish government to implement a policy of divestment and end financial support to companies in Scotland which supply the Israeli war machine.
We demand that our leaders do everything they can to stop the ongoing escalation of this war.

The demonstration, scheduled for 23rd of November in Glasgow, has been called jointly by Stop the War Scotland, Scottish CND and the Scottish Trade Union Congress.

It will bring together communities, trade unions, faith groups, and peace activists from across Scotland to stand united against the genocide in the Middle East under the following slogans:

– Stop All Arms Sales to Israel
– Hands off Gaza and Lebanon
– No war with Iran – Welfare not Warfare

The demonstration will be assembling from 11.30am at the Mclennan Arch at Glasgow Green following a route through the city centre and returning to Glasgow Green for the main rally where we will be hearing from a range of speakers from across the movement.

Speakers include:

Jeremy Corbyn – Independent MP and Deputy President of Stop the War Coalition
Lynn Jamieson – Chair of Scottish CND
Aamer Anwar – Human Rights Lawyer
Dave Moxham – STUC Deputy General Secretary
Richard Leonard – Scottish Labour MSP
Chris Nineham – Vice Chair Stop the War Coalition

With more to be announced in the coming days …

Travel from across Scotland!

Travelling from the North East? Register your place on the coach from Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth here!

Travelling from Edinburgh? Meet activists at 9.30pm outside Pret at Waverley Station!

Many Thanks for your support,

The Common Weal Team

Gaza: West welcomes ceasefire talks

MEANWHILE, POLITICAL FALLOUT IN SCOTLAND

A joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy following an update on Israel-Gaza ceasefire negotiations:

‘We, the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to conclude the agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages and are encouraged by the constructive approach adopted so far.

‘We welcome the fact that technical work will continue over the coming days, including on both the humanitarian provisions and the specific arrangements relating to hostages and detainees, and that senior officials will then reconvene before the end of next week with the aim of concluding the agreement.

‘We urge all parties to continue to engage positively and flexibly in this process. We underline the importance of avoiding any escalatory action in the region which would undermine the prospect for peace.  There is too much at stake.’

Closer to home but Gaza-related, SNP MSP John Mason has been stripped of the party whip after “completely unacceptable” social media posts about the conflict in Gaza.

On Thursday, the independent-minded MSP tweeted: ‘Very pleased to see @AngusRobertson met Israeli deputy ambassador @DanielaGrudsky. I also met her last week. Useful discussion on what Israel hopes to achieve in Gaza. As UK learned in Ireland, to achieve peace we must talk to each other… including to people we disagree with.’

Mr Mason followed this up on Friday: ‘If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many.’

Mr Mason said he was “disappointed” by his suspension, which came after he wrote on X that the country’s actions in Gaza did not amount to “genocide”.

Mason’s swift banishment comes after External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson was pictured standing alongside Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky.

Many within the SNP are highly critical of Israel’s actions in the Middle East and the diplomatic encounter has prompted a furious internal backlash. with growing calls for First Minister John Swinney to sack Mr Robertson.

29th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide: UK statement

Ambassador Holland remembers the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and pays tribute to the courage and resilience shown by families and survivors.

Today we remember the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and honour the survivors. This year we are marking 11 July more formally for the first time as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, following the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution on 23 May.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found that several individuals were guilty of genocide in Srebrenica. Acknowledgement of that fact should not be a cause for tension and division. Rather, it is a basis on which true reconciliation can be achieved.

Mr Chair, 29 years ago in Srebrenica, genocide took place in Europe for the first time since 1945. It claimed the lives of over 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys, and led to the displacement of over 20,000 women and children who were forcibly expelled from their homes.

We honour the memory of those killed, and pay tribute to the extraordinary courage and resilience shown by their families and by survivors. We stand with the families in their ongoing fight for justice. 

The UK is committed to supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in its efforts to build a secure, stable, inclusive society, and heal the fractures caused by conflict. It is regrettable that we continue to see divisive and dangerous nationalist rhetoric, secessionist moves, and open challenges to the constitutional order established by the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The UK is committed to a single, sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will continue to take action in support of that. We also continue to urge political leaders to condemn any glorification of the perpetrators of war crimes, and to take action against genocide denial. 

Mr Chair, as was the case in 2022 and 2023, we are marking this date in the shadow of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We must learn the lessons of history.

Terrible events such as the genocide at Srebrenica show the consequences of inaction. We owe it to the victims to create societies that are stable, inclusive and cohesive, and to fight against prejudice, hatred, fear and division wherever we find it. 

Remaining true to our shared commitment to the concept of comprehensive security, articulated by the Helsinki principles and central to membership of the OSCE, is the best way to do this.

The greatest tribute we can give to those who lost their lives is to do everything we can to prevent such a horrific crime from ever being repeated.

Ambassador Holland’s speech at/to the OSCE – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe