ANGUS Robertson has issued a statement following a meeting he held with a senior Israeli diplomat.
The Scottish External Affairs Secretary had faced criticism from within his own party for the meeting – which was kept secret for around four days before being made public.
On Monday afternoon, Robertson (below) issued a statement addressing the criticism.
In it, he said the Scottish Government would not meet with their Israeli counterparts again until "real progress" has been made towards peace in Gaza.
Robertson also contradicted reports that First Minister John Swinney had ordered him to attend the meeting, saying doing so had been his own decision.
Yuu can read the full statement below.
Angus Robertson's full statement after Israel meeting row
Two weeks ago, I met the new Israeli UK deputy ambassador at their request.
We anticipated the deputy ambassador would raise concerns about antisemitism, as well as other issues.
It was rightly for me to decide whether to take the meeting, however, as is normal practice, the First Minister was made aware before the meeting happened.
My view was that given the Israeli UK deputy ambassador had requested a meeting it was an opportunity to express the Scottish Government's clear and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and I did exactly that.
No one intended that this meeting be presented as legitimising the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. The Scottish Government has been consistent in our unequivocal condemnation of the atrocities we have witnessed in Gaza.
The reality, however, is that this meeting has been taken by many to represent a normalisation of relations between the Israeli and Scottish Governments.
As such, it is clear that it would have been better to ensure that the meeting was strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the appalling loss of life in the region. I apologise for the fact that this did not happen.
Going forward, it is clear that, having now spoken direct to the Israeli government and making them aware of our position on an immediate ceasefire, it would not be appropriate to accept any invitation for a further meeting.
This will remain our position until such time as real progress has been made towards peace, unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance is provided and Israel cooperates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes.
The Scottish Government does not support any normalisation of its relations with the Israeli Government during this period.
The Scottish Government will never hold back in expressing support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, an end to UK arms being sent to Israel, and the recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state within a two-state solution.
