THE SNP have been accused of attempting to “build closer ties to Israel” amid its assault on Gaza, after a minister met with one of the country’s top diplomats in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Greens have written to the SNP leader demanding answers about the “secret meeting” between External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson and deputy Israeli ambassador Daniela Grudsky Ekstein last week.
Details of the meeting were kept secret until Monday and the Scottish Greens said it showed a “gulf between the SNP’s words and their actions on Israel and Palestine”.
First Minister John Swinney has been accused of “inaction” in taking steps to limit the Scottish Government’s involvement with firms “complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation and settlements in the West Bank”.
Swinney has defended the meeting, saying it was an “opportunity to convey our consistent position on the killing and suffering of innocent civilians in the region”.
In a letter to the First Minister on Thursday, Green co-leader Patrick Harvie and MSP Ross Greer said that the Scottish Government had “taken no action” to ensure that companies “complicit” in Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank were benefiting from public grants or contracts in Scotland.
They added: “That is despite repeated correspondence and a meeting eventually being arranged between Ross [Greer] and the relevant minister and officials, as you highlighted in your correspondence.
“Potential specific actions were identified at this meeting.”
They said they were “deeply concerned” about the meeting between Robertson and the Israeli diplomat, pointing out that the pair had discussed areas of “mutual interests”, including culture and renewable energy.
The letter went on: “It is impossible to envisage a similar meeting taking place with representatives of the Russian or Syrian regimes and yet the Scottish Government has apparently seen fit to build closer ties with an apartheid state as it commits genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Harvie and Greer noted that the meeting had come after a ruling from the International Court of Justice which found Israel was committing crimes including apartheid and illegal occupation.
And it came as arrest warrants were being sought by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant.
They added: “It is incumbent on the Scottish Government to ensure that it is not complicit in this occupation, an objective which can be most effectively achieved through our proposed ban on complicit companies.”
Greer said there was “more than a whiff of hypocrisy” from the SNP on the Israel-Palestine issue.
He said: “Humza Yousaf deserves respect for his leadership in calling for a ceasefire and a ban on arms sales to Israel, but when it comes to areas within the Scottish Government’s direct control we’ve seen months of inaction, now followed by worrying revelations of attempts to build closer ties to Israel.
“The Scottish Greens made proposals months ago to ensure that Scotland’s public money does not end up in the hands of companies complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.
“Not only have the SNP failed to act on these proposals, we now know that they have been discussing areas of ‘mutual interest’ with representatives of Israel’s apartheid government.”
The SNP have been outspoken in their opposition to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and consistent in calling for a ceasefire, before that position was adopted by Labour and the US.
We revealed in March how the Scottish Government had cut off the Israeli Air Force’s access to Prestwick Airport.
Controversy was sparked after it emerged that the state-owned airport had played host to an Israeli military plane last year.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The First Minister reiterated his support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and an end to UK arms being sent to Israel only this week.
“The Scottish Government has stressed repeatedly to public bodies that they should take the UN database into consideration, along with other evidence, when carrying out their normal due diligence in relation to individual companies.
"However the database is not suitable to be used on its own as the basis for decisions on whether to grant funding.
"As the UN itself sets out, the database is not intended to provide a legal characterisation of business’ involvement in listed activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy said: "As part of the longstanding and positive relationship between Israel and the UK, it is the work of foreign diplomats to engage and foster relations, including with the Scottish Government, through partnerships and frank dialogue.
"It is unfortunate that the core principles of diplomacy are being called into question.
"We remain resolute in fulfilling our duty to represent the state of Israel, including through advocating for the return of our 115 Israeli hostages who continue to be held by Hamas in Gaza."
