Scottish government suspends meetings with Israel until 'progress' made in ceasefire talks

This decision follows backlash after a secret meeting between the external affairs secretary and an Israeli diplomat

News Desk - The Cradle 

The Scottish government announced on 19 August that it was halting meetings with the Israeli government until significant "progress" is made in negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

This decision follows demands for the suspension of Scotland's external affairs secretary Angus Robertson after it was revealed that he met privately with Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK.

Robertson later apologized for the meeting, saying that it was kept confidential at Israel's request.

The Scottish minister also committed to the decision that the government would decline any future Israeli invitations until it “cooperates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes.”

Robertson also mentioned that he initially agreed to a meeting with Israeli diplomats to emphasize Scotland's stance in favor of implementing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The conversation, however, was not "strictly limited" to that topic, according to him. 

"The Scottish government has been consistent in our unequivocal condemnation of the atrocities we have witnessed in Gaza," Robertson told the BBC, adding, “The reality, however, is that this meeting has been taken by many to represent a normalization of relations between the Israeli and Scottish governments."

Christine Grahame, one of the most senior members of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), reportedly expressed her concerns to First Minister John Swinney, calling Robertson a "liability" and criticizing his "poor judgment" in agreeing to the meeting.

This controversy comes after the expulsion of SNP lawmaker John Mason, who sparked outrage with a post on X stating, "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many."

Since Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza began in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, launched on 7 October 2023, the international community has somewhat distanced itself from Israel. This shift is due to the death toll in Gaza well surpassing 40,000, along with the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling on Tel Aviv's conduct during the conflict, which concluded that Israel may be guilty of genocide and maintains an apartheid system.

Criticism of the Israeli government has significantly grown among UK politicians. Days earlier, earlier, Mark Smith, a British Foreign Office official stationed in Dublin, resigned in protest against London’s ongoing arms sales to Israel.

In a letter titled "FCDO Complicity in War Crimes," Smith highlighted a series of Israel's war crimes, including the widespread destruction of Gaza's infrastructure, ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid, and attacks on ambulances, schools, and hospitals.

Although trailing far behind Israel's primary suppliers of deadly weapons — the US and Germany — the UK issued over 100 arms export licenses to Tel Aviv between 7 October and the end of May.