Hansard

I thank Humza Yousaf for bringing this important debate to the chamber. At a time when eyes have begun to turn away from the atrocities and horrors that are being inflicted on the people of Palestine, it is important that we in Parliament continue to raise their voices.

I, along with many members from across the chamber, believe that Palestine is the moral question of our time and that this is not just a matter of standing up for a ceasefire in the here and now. As others have said in this and previous debates in the chamber, more than 75 years after Palestinians were promised a state of their own and after 56 years of illegal occupation, more than 100 countries now recognise Palestine. It is not out of step for them to do so.

Where one stands on the question matters. It matters because we must care about the future for Israel and Palestine. The hopes and the futures of all Israelis and Palestinians depend on what we do.

As a citizen of one of the most powerful countries in the world, I feel desperately ashamed that UK-funded weapons have been used to perpetuate this terrible episode in human history. No amount of gross domestic product is worth being involved in that. We need security and peace for the region. Internationally, we need to place pressure on the Netanyahu Government, which all in the chamber recognise.

As others have done, I have wept as entire families have been killed in Gaza. Children have woken up to find the refugee camps that they are living in with barely enough food or water completely ablaze after bombs were dropped on tents. Aid workers and journalists have been murdered in cold blood for simply trying to help people or to get to the truth. All that is going on as we speak, and it will still be happening tomorrow. How can we do anything other than speak up? We have a moral responsibility to do so.

As others have said, we need to recognise the root causes and address them. That requires us to recognise a Palestinian state and a two-state solution. The reality of the situation as it stands is that innocent people, including thousands of women, children and unborn children are being punished for a crime that they did not commit.

I thank Mr Yousaf for the stance that he took when he was First Minister, which was most welcome. He welcomed the support from Scottish Labour and across the chamber, and I believe that that reflected the overwhelming view in Scotland that we must strive for peace and reconciliation. Scotland must continue to use its voice whenever it can to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians. We cannot let it be swept under the carpet, because it is that kind of attitude that has led to the constant instability in the region and the rise of leaders who are determined to use violence to get what they want.

I end by saying this to Governments around the world: selling weapons to a nation that is indiscriminately bombing civilian population centres is not a benign act. We have seen unimaginable scenes from Gaza of destruction and death. Across the world, we must speak out: stop the killing, bring the hostages home and recognise the state of Palestine so that we can begin the process of peace.