Scottish Government Halts Meetings with Israeli Ambassadors Until Gaza Peace Progresses
On Monday, the Scottish government said that it had ceased all its engagements with Israeli ambassadors for the meantime in which no substantial steps are being taken towards achieving peace in the Gaza Strip, as well as in the meantime where humanitarian supplies cannot be delivered into the Gaza Strip.
Scotland will not attend any further diplomatic meetings with Israelis unless there is significant progress towards Gaza talks, declared External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson.
“That is the position that WE will maintain until meaningful progress is made toward achieving peace where people have access to basic humanitarian assistance and Israel with the cooperation with its international responsibilities regarding consideration of genocide and war,” Robertson said.
This follows a meeting Robertson held with Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky, about two weeks ago, which elicited some criticism from the SNP.
Robertson said that as Grudsky had convened the meeting, the Scottish government could make a definite stand on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza. ‘And I did exactly that,’ he remarked.
He went further to say that nobody wanted this meeting to be interpreted as being supportive of the state of Israel in Gaza.
Fears that the meeting might be interpreted as an attempt to step up cooperation between Israeli and Scottish authorities were dispelled by Robertson, who insisted that the subject of discussion should have remained only the need to call on ceasing the warfare in Gaza immediately.
He referred to the criticism and said: “I apologize for the fact that this did not happen. ”
Robertson also said that after conveying the Scottish government’s desire for an immediate ceasefire to the Israeli government, it would be improper to agree to any more meetings.
As he pointed out, this would continue until there is real progress on making a ceasefire. He further indicated that the Scottish government did not support normalising relations with the Israeli government during this period.
Robertson reaffirmed that the Scottish government continues to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the liberation of all the hostages, the banning of the export of arms to Israel and recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state in a two-state solution.
Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said this about the statement: Robertson has listened and reflected on the anger and upset that many felt over the External Affairs Secretary’s meeting with the Israeli deputy ambassador.
‘Most importantly,’ Crucially, ‘he has made it clear that normal relations cannot be with the government of Israel,’ Yousaf said on X [formerly known as Twitter].
