LABOUR have been accused of "rolling out the red carpet" for the Israeli foreign minister during a secret visit to the UK.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with Gideon Sa’ar, a senior member of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, on Tuesday.
The meeting was not publicised and was only confirmed to The National following reports from the Middle East Eye.
An arrest warrant for Sa'ar is now being sought in the UK, alleging that the minister aided and abetted torture and grave breaches of international humanitarian law in Palestine including wilful killing and extensive destruction of property.
Scottish politicians, including within Labour, have now condemned the meeting, which took place just hours before Israel announced its troops will remain in so-called "security zones" in Gaza indefinitely.
'Israel handed another blank cheque to act with impunity'
SNP MP Brendan O'Hara said the UK Government had once again handed Israel "a blank cheque to act with impunity" in meeting with Sa'ar.
“That conversation should have been about consequences – it should have been made clear that the UK would be ending arms sales to Israel, that the Israelis must end their occupation of Palestinian territory and informing him that the UK will be immediately following the example of France in finally recognising the state of Palestine.
“Unfortunately, given his record, people will naturally have very little faith that Mr Lammy would have threatened any of these consequences or displayed any of that moral duty.
“Because another conversation without any concrete consequences means that David Lammy and the UK Government have been handing the Israeli government another blank cheque to act with impunity.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer said Labour were showing "utter contempt" for the lives of millions of Palestinians in meeting with Sa'ar.
Greer told The National: “The Labour Party just cannot stop themselves from supporting, meeting and enabling Israeli war criminals. They again show utter contempt for human rights, international law, and the lives of millions of Palestinians.
“Gideon Sa’ar has opposed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, while supporting the annexation of the West Bank and the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
“The only reason David Lammy should meet with his Israeli counterpart is to tell him that he’s ending Labour’s shameful role in this genocide by immediately cutting off arms sales and military support, and informing Sa’ar to his face that he will be personally sanctioned for the part he has played in tens of thousands of murders.”
Brian Leishman, Scottish Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said while the UK Government needed to "keep dialogue open" with Israeli counterparts to apply pressure, it was clear that more needed to be done.
Leishman (below) said: “The UK Government must show international and moral leadership when it comes to Israel and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
“This includes the UK Government’s continued sale of arms to Israel, including through the F-35 programme, and the fact that goods from illegal settlements can freely enter Britain – empowering the illegal occupation.”
He continued: “While the Foreign Secretary must keep the dialogue open with his Israeli counterparts to apply pressure and bring an end to Israel’s unlawful presence in occupied territory as quickly as possible, it is clear that more must be done to compel Israel to respect and comply with international law.
“Scores of Palestinian people continue to be killed every day in this horrendous war and the hardship and loss on the ground is simply indescribable. After weeks of blockade, humanitarian aid must also resume as the current situation is potentially the worst it has been since the conflict began.”
