Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee (GGEC) view with deep concern and disappointment the absence of any clear statement by the Scottish Government in calling the mass killing in Gaza a genocide, and in failing to take decisive action against Israel to help stop it.
While the Scottish Government has urged the UK Government to end all arms supplies to Israel, it has not used its own available powers to assist in that emergency task.
In particular, it must, with immediate effect, terminate all financial support being sent to arms companies and their service firms via its funding stream, Scottish Enterprise.
As detailed by Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), between 2021-24:
“The Scottish government’s funding body, Scottish Enterprise, has provided over £8 million in public grants to multi-billion-pound arms companies that profit from conflict and repression.” [1]
GGEC believes that the Scottish Government has not duly adhered to the International Court of Justice ruling (26 January 2024) calling Israel’s conduct in Gaza a “plausible” case of genocide. Nor has it shown sufficient recognition of the ICJ ruling that it will not in any way enable the genocide. [2]
The Scottish Government should endorse the actions of multiple other countries across the world by stating its unequivocal support for South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ, and do everything it can to block all arms to Israel.
It is appalling that public resources are being expended on profit-drenched arms companies here in Scotland, while Israel is carrying out what a recent UN report calls a policy of “extermination” in Gaza. [3]
The Scottish Government should also be supporting all those actively protesting the arms companies and trying to stop weaponry being sent to Israel.
In another landmark judgement (19 July 2024), the ICJ has ruled that Israel’s entire presence and conduct across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT – Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem) is “unlawful”, advising that states “must immediately review all diplomatic, political, and economic ties with Israel, inclusive of business and finance, pension funds, academia and charities.” The ruling also calls for an immediate arms embargo on Israel. [4]
Although acting in a devolved capacity, it remains incumbent upon the Scottish Government to recognise this further ruling by ensuring that it has no dealings with any organisations or bodies supporting or assisting Israel in such illegality, and that it utilises its own available powers to help implement an arms embargo.
In conducting its horrific genocide in Gaza, Israel is using the same UK-supplied weaponry to extend the slaughter in Lebanon, and to bomb other countries across the region, taking us to the brink of global war.
The Scottish Government cannot, in this crisis situation for Palestinians and others under merciless attack, take safe political refuge in merely calling for a ceasefire and repeating the mantra of a ‘two state solution’.
It must show true resolve in working to sanction Israel, stop the genocide, and help bring about real political solutions that uphold and deliver all Palestinian rights.
GGEC
Notes:
[1] https://caat.org.uk/take-action/campaign-with-us/stop-funding-repression/