Scotland suspends talks with Israel over Gaza 'war crimes'

The Scottish government announced on Monday that it was suspending meetings with Israel until "real progress" is made in truce talks over the war on Gaza and Israel cooperates with investigations of genocide and war crimes.

The move was in response to a growing backlash in Scotland's over the country's External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson's secret meeting with Daniela Grudsky, Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK. 

According to a spokesperson of the Scottish National Party (SNP), an announcement about the meeting was initially delayed at Israel's request. 

Robertson has since apologised for the meeting and reiterated that his government would reject further invitations from Israel until it "co-operates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes". 

He added that he was also apologetic that the meeting was not "strictly limited to talks about a ceasefire" but defended the decision to meet with the Israeli diplomat to emphasise Scotland's "clear and unwavering" support for a Gaza truce. 

"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," he continued. 

Despite his apology, Robertson's peers have condemned his actions, as critics argue that the move had marked a deviation from Scotland's handling of Israel under former First Minister Humza Yousaf. 

Former ministers Emma Roddick, Kevin Stewart, and Elena Whitham, who have been vocally opposed to Israel's military offensive in Gaza, slammed Robertson's meeting with Israeli officials.

In response to the controversy, First Minister John Swinney addressed the issue on social media, defending the diplomatic engagement.  

Posting from his X account, Swinney acknowledged the concerns, stating: "I understand why some believe a face-to-face meeting was not appropriate, however, I thought it necessary to outline our long-standing position on an immediate ceasefire directly, and explicitly, to one of Israel's representatives in the UK. " 

According to Scotland's The Herald, Christine Grahame, one of the country's most senior parliamentarians, regarded Robertson as still "a liability" and showed "poor judgement" in the controversial decision. 

Amid calls for his suspension within the Scottish government, Grahame reportedly wrote to Swinney to also reconsider his support for the external affairs secretary. 

The recent event comes after SNP lawmaker John Mason was expelled from the party last weekend, after claiming in a post on X: "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many." 

Mason also revealed in response to Robertson's meeting with Israel's Daniela Grudsky that he had also met with her and was "disappointed" by his suspension. 

However, a spokesperson for the SNP chief Whip reaffirmed the party's judgement by stating: "To flippantly dismiss the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable. 

"There can be no room in the SNP for this kind of intolerance."