Meeting of the Parliament 03 September 2025
I respect Mr Yousaf’s passion and his campaigning on the issue. He will be aware that the UK Government has restricted arms sales, and we have called for the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to look at what we can do in a Scottish context. That needs to be kept under constant review, and we need to take all the actions that we can to stop those crimes from happening. As Mr Yousaf is aware, the killing is still on-going and needs to stop. Although there needs to be accountability, our priority must be to call for an end to those crimes now, to stop the killings with the bullets and bombs and the killings by the barriers that are preventing food from getting into children’s mouths and medicines to people’s wounds.
In biblical times, famine was seen as a matter of weather or the will of God; today, the famine in Gaza is man made, on the edict of Benjamin Netanyahu. It must be lifted, which is why, across the chamber, along with people across this land, our continent and the globe, we have called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and the free flow of humanitarian aid. However, the question that we face as Scottish parliamentarians is, “What can we do?”
The Scottish Labour Party has argued for more than half a century for a two-state solution, and I recognise that other parties have long supported that, too. Statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, and alongside a wider settlement, it is the only way for a lasting peace to be secured between Israel and Palestine.
I believe that every member in this place wants an end to the killing and a lasting peace. We might not all agree on the appropriate time to recognise the state of Palestine, but I believe that that time is now.
We might also not agree on what other actions should be taken to bring about that peace, but any action needs to be effective, involve international pressure and co-operation, and be under constant review. Important actions are already being taken by the UK Government, as set out in my amendment, in relation to restoring funding for UNRWA and respecting the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Action is being taken by the Scottish Government, too, which is welcome.
Although we, in these islands, cannot alone end the killing in Gaza and the West Bank, we can help to make a difference by how we act and how we speak. We can further help to make a difference by clearly and immediately signalling our support for the recognition of the state of Palestine. Today, let us send out a clear message that we believe in peace and in a two-state solution. That does not mean that we need to take sides, other than to be on the side of those who wish to live against those who wish to take life—those who seek to make peace against those who seek conflict.
Let us speak of solidarity for peace, for a ceasefire and for a two-state solution, as we have always argued. Let us argue not for division for our own ends but for peace for those who suffer for no reason.
I move amendment S6M-18686.2, to insert at end:
“; welcomes the actions taken by the UK Government to respect the jurisdiction and independence of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, restore funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, restrict arms sales licences to prevent breaches of international law, issue sanctions on Israeli ministers and settlers in the West Bank and commit to recognising a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly; calls on the Scottish Government to update the Parliament on the due diligence checks carried out by Scottish Enterprise during investment decision processes to ensure that defence products are not used in breaches of humanitarian law in Gaza or elsewhere, and considers that there must be an immediate ceasefire, with delivery of humanitarian aid and food into Gaza, the release of all the hostages and a pathway to a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, secured by a two-state solution.”
16:06Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S6M-18686.2 Palestine Motion