THE UK Government has been urged to “listen to the will of the people” as a new poll for The National found the vast majority of Scots want to see an end to arms sales to Israel.
A Find Out Now survey of 1774 Scottish adults showed 70% of Scots think the UK Government should block all military export licences to Israel, once “don’t knows” are removed.
The UK Government has come under pressure since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza – which has killed more than 45,000 people – to end arms exports.
Speaking to The National, former first minister Humza Yousaf (below) said: “Continuing arms exports to Israel means that the UK will continue its complicity in war crimes in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people, the majority reported to be women and children.
“It is hardly surprising that the vast, overwhelming majority of people are opposed to selling arms to a government whose head is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“The UK Government must now listen to the will of the people and finally do the right thing, end their complicity and immediately block all military export licences to Israel.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie also responded to the poll, saying that “the very last thing any government should do is prolong the destruction by selling deadly weapons and offering military support”.
“When there are war crimes and genocide being inflicted, we must all stand for peace and do everything we can to try to end the killing and the suffering,” the MSP told The National.
Starmer has previously denied genocide is taking place in Gaza although a report from Amnesty International released in December accused Israel of doing so in the Gaza Strip.
Harvie continued: “Labour’s decision to continue arming Israeli forces is one of the most disgraceful and immoral decisions it has made since the Iraq war, and it will stay with them for just as long.
“It is utterly shameful and indefensible. Keir Starmer is supposed to be a human rights lawyer but he is making himself complicit in some of the worst atrocities of this century.
“The time to end the arms sales has long passed. How many more people need to be killed and how many more lives need to be destroyed for Keir Starmer to finally say that enough is enough?”
Campaigners' reaction
A NUMBER of pro-Palestine organisations also offered their reaction to the polling, with Arthur West of Stop The War saying it “provided further compelling evidence that the UK Government should withdraw licences for all sales of arms and military equipment to Israel”.
West, who sits on Stop The War’s steering committee, said: “In the last few weeks, respected organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also produced reports detailing genocide by the Israeli government and military in Gaza.
“It is now time for the current UK Government to act decisively and with humanity on this issue.
“The UK Government must act without hesitation to stop the flow of UK arms and military support to Israel.”
Elsewhere, David Myles of Scottish Friends of Palestine said the poll showed “politicians are out of step with the demands of the public who oppose Israel’s military campaign against occupied Palestinians”.
However, Myles also hit out at Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson (below), who previously defended Scottish Government grants to arms firms supplying Israel, saying they are not “direct funding for the manufacture of weapons”.
The campaigner added: “What will it take for our governments to take heed of international rulings and to end their political, financial and military support to Israel, which is committing daily massacres against Palestinians?”
“What are the Scottish and UK governments waiting for? For their ‘ally,’ a well-documented apartheid regime, the world’s longest illegal occupation that now stands accused of genocide, to carry on until there are no Palestinians left?”
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign also issued a statement to The National, which said: “The gulf between public opinion and the UK Government as shown in this poll is dramatic.
“Many have low or no expectations of action from the UK Government. The Scottish Government, though, needs to go beyond repeating its 2014 call for an arms embargo against Israel, and end Scottish Government grants and other support for arms companies whose products have been shown to end up in Israel.”
Asked previously about grants given to arms firms, Robertson said: “It’s the UK that is responsible for arms licensing and exports.
“I was very keen to make sure that there was an understanding that the Scottish Government does not support the export of weapons to Israel.”
He added: “There is no direct funding for the manufacture of weapons and weapons that are exported. That is my understanding of current arrangements.
“I think very close attention is paid to whether any public money from the Scottish Government goes into the manufacture of weapons systems that are exported to Israel or not.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “We have suspended relevant export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza conflict, following a review which concluded there is a clear risk that some UK export items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law.
“Our focus is on securing a ceasefire, the release of hostages, better protection of civilians, and the acceleration of aid into Gaza. A ceasefire would not only help to protect civilians in Gaza, but also pave the way for wider de-escalation and bring much-needed stability for the Middle East.”
