HUMZA Yousaf has accused the UK Government of an “abject failure of moral leadership” while attending a pro-Palestinian march in London.
On Saturday, the former first minister joined tens of thousands of marchers in central London as they sought to draw attention to the continued killing of civilians in the Middle East by the Israeli military.
A “significant” policing operation is in place over the weekend ahead of the one year anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel on Monday.
Speaking to Sky News, Yousaf said the UK Government had failed to hold Israel to account. “I am here very simply because in almost a year, just shy of 365 days, we’ve seen a complete and abject failure of moral leadership from the UK Government,” he said.
“They continue to send arms to the Israeli government that has, of course, committed war crime after war crime and the fact that the international community has failed so badly means we don’t have a ceasefire, the massacres continue, [and] hostages continue to be kept captive.
“So I’m here to join what looks like millions here on the streets of London to say enough is enough.”
Sky News presenter Matt Barbet said that it wasn’t just the UK Government’s call for a ceasefire which was being ignored by Israel but the whole of the West.
Yet Yousaf questioned why the UK continued to sell arms to Israel if it refused to listen.
“It’s interesting you say Israel isn’t listening to the UK Government and the West - and you’re right,” he added.
"People are pro-humanity" . Former Scottish First Minister, Humza Yousaf, speaks to Sky News as he attends a pro-Palestinian march in London.https://t.co/mTq5w1zh7T 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/UvoVfajpKS
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 5, 2024
“So, why are we rewarding them? By sending arms, 90% of arms export licences to Israel continue from the UK, when massacre after massacre is happening.”
Barbet then questioned if by being “pro-Palestinian” Yousaf risked being seen as “too anti-Israeli, maybe even anti-Semitic”.
“I just utterly reject that charge,” said Yousaf.
“Look, it cheapens anti-Semitism by saying that criticism of the Netanyahu government is somehow anti-Semitism when there are Israelis who disagree and march in Tel Aviv in their hundreds of thousands against the massacre that’s taking place in amongst Gaza.
“The attacks in Lebanon are being condemned by the United Nations.
“You’re not trying to tell me the United Nations is anti-Semitic. Of course it’s not.
“So let’s not cheapen anti-Semitism which is real, which affects Jews up and down the country, which I have railed against, stood against, all of my life.
“What we’re seeing here is people who are not, by the way, pro-Arab, pro-Muslim or pro-Palestinian. They’re pro-humanity. And it’s international law that we demand people are held to account by.”
It comes after a UN agency said that Israeli strikes on three schools in Gaza had killed at least 20 people in the past two days.
