GGEC Arms Companies Team
14 March 2024
firstminister@gov.scot scottish.ministers@gov.scot
Dear Humza Yousaf and Scottish Ministers
Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee (GGEC) welcomes the Scottish Government’s efforts to establish a meaningful ceasefire and an end to the catastrophic loss of life and destruction in Gaza.
We were also pleased to hear your call on 25 February 2024 for the UK Government to stop arming Israel, and stating that this was a flagrant breach of humanitarian law.
Whilst we acknowledge the Scottish Government’s limited influence over UK matters, we feel that your “hopes of the UK Government listening” are misplaced and lacking in serious purpose.
We wrote to you and all other Ministers on 16 Jan 2024 (via
Glasgow Palestine Human Rights Campaign) to ask for more purposeful measures from the Scottish Government.
Disappointingly, the response on 4 March 2024 from Melissa Waugh of External Affairs, on behalf of the Scottish Government, was more of an explanation about the limited options of the Scottish Government rather than any assurance of action to be taken.
We feel strongly that the key issues raised in our letter were completely avoided in this response.
We would also like to remind you of the vital ruling and provisional measures laid down on 26 January 2024 in favour of South Africa by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and Israel’s flagrant disregarding of them. It is of the utmost importance, in response, that the Scottish Government does everything within its available powers to ensure that it is not enabling Israel’s continuing genocide.
As you may already be aware, Glasgow City councillors, led by the Greens, are currently working on a motion for Gaza which ensures they will not be seen as inadvertently enabling the genocide, and to show that they have done everything within their own powers to stop giving Israel the means to carry out their crimes.
The motion will be presented at a Glasgow City Council meeting on 28 March 2024.
As with Glasgow City Council, we are calling on the Scottish Government to lay out their own commitments in clear point form, indicating the precise measures, interventions and other actions it is taking to show that they are adhering to ICJ protocols and not enabling the genocide.
These are the principal points we would like you to address in your plan:
● Issue a public acknowledgement of South Africa’s case before the ICJ, which accepts the “plausible case” of a genocide being committed by Israel.
● State clearly what you will do, with all your available powers and influence, to secure an immediate embargo on all arms from Scotland to Israel.
● Reiterate Scotland’s call upon the UK Government to ban all arms to Israel.
● Instruct a comprehensive review of all funding streams for arms companies and ancillary/supply firms, most specifically funds awarded by Scottish Enterprise to aerospace and defence companies that export to Israel, despite Scottish Enterprise’s avowed human rights procedures of 2019.
● Publish a directive to all councils and local governing bodies with guidelines to ensure that they are not unwittingly complicit in the genocide.
● Publicly state how you will support trade unions and workers who refuse to handle weapons and components bound for Israel.
● Use all possible powers to ensure that Lothian Pension Fund divests the £160 million they have in companies that are enabling Israel, and instruct a review of other pension funds, such as Strathclyde Pension Fund, to show where funds are invested and divestment actions being taken.
● Commit to a reconsideration of the IHRA document, showing that the general public are capable of knowing the essential difference between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israel.
The emergency situation in Gaza calls for emergency interventions from our Scottish Government. It requires a clear plan of action and political assistance to help bring an end to the suffering of Palestinians.
Activists for Palestine are doing all we can to effect change from below. We insist that our elected representatives adopt a similar proactive attitude, leading the way in helping to expose Israel’s apartheid system, stop the genocide, and secure basic human rights for the Palestinian people.
We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely, GGEC
Arms Companies Team
………….
DIRECTORATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DEA : International Division
Arms Companies Team arms@ggec.org.uk
Our Reference: 202400405022
21 May 2024
Dear Arms Companies Team,
Thank you for your further correspondence of 14 March 2024 in relation to the ongoing situation in the Middle East. I am sorry you were dissatisfied with my original response, and for the delay in responding to you. Please allow me to respond further.
I am aware that Glasgow City Council came close to unanimity at its full council meeting, on 28 March 2024, as Green, Labour and SNP councillors backed a motion not only expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine, backing the Scottish government calls for an arms embargo and a halt to arms supply to Israel, but setting out actions to put it into practice.
The Scottish Government continues to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. In exercising its right to defend itself, Israel must abide by international humanitarian law. Humanitarian and medical facilities must be protected, and civilians must be given unrestricted access to the basic necessities of life, wherever they are. There is no justification for the bombing of medical facilities and schools. Humanitarian workers, vehicles and installations including hospitals and schools must be protected under international law.
As such the Former First Minister, Humza Yousaf, has written to the Prime Minister on a number of occasions, as recently as 12 April 2024, to call for an immediate ban of licenced arms exports from the United Kingdom. Banning the export of arms to Israel will be a clear signal to the Israeli Government in light of its recent actions and its statements that its armed forces will attack Rafah.
The Scottish Government do not believe that there is a case to send more weapons to Israel. The UN Security Council resolution called for a ceasefire. Israel has one of the most sophisticated armed forces in the world. By continuing to arm Israel, the UK is in danger of being complicit in killing innocent civilians.
Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. See www.lobbying.scot
St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot
The Scottish Government has had human rights due diligence rules in place for some years, and even before the current conflict in Gaza we were addressing the question of businesses shown on a UN list as possibly being active in the occupied Palestine territories. However, the Scottish Government can only operate within the bounds of the relevant UK legislation and our devolved powers which limit the activity the Scottish Government can take.
Furthermore, the Scottish Government supports the UN Human Rights Council in it calls on its members “to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel, the occupying power and to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights”.
Please be assured that the Scottish Government and our enterprise and skills agencies do not provide funding for the manufacture of munitions. Our support for defence sector companies is instead predominantly focused on helping firms to diversify their activities and technologies and ensure Scotland continues to benefit from significant economic returns and thousands of jobs in the defence, aerospace and shipbuilding sectors.
Finally, we deeply value our relationships with all of Scotland’s diverse faith and belief communities and welcome their contributions which enrich our nation’s civic life. Scotland’s faith and belief communities play a significant role in Scotland and abroad, supporting many of our most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens. This includes the Jewish and Muslim communities community across Scotland.
I hope this response is of use to you.
Yours sincerely
Melissa Waugh
INTER : International Relations
Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. See www.lobbying.scot
St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot
