MSPS have voted for a full boycott of the state of Israel and companies complicit in genocide following a debate in the Scottish Parliament.
A Green proposal asking for "the Scottish and UK Governments to immediately impose a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions targeted at the state of Israel and at companies complicit in its military operations and its occupation of Palestine" was passed by 62 votes to 31, with 21 abstentions.
It was added on to a motion tabled by External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson which read "the Parliament agrees with the recognition of the State of Palestine and that peace in the region must be pursued by all".
Conservative and LibDem MSPs voted against a boycott, and they were joined by independents John Mason and Jeremy Balfour. Scottish Labour MSPs abstained in the vote.
Prior to this, First Minister John Swinney announced Scotland will stop providing public funds to firms arming Israel.
Welcoming support for boycott, divestments and sanctions, Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “I hope that today’s vote is the start of a new consensus across our Parliament for real, practical and effective action against Israel’s genocide.
“Palestinians are being starved and massacred every day as part of a campaign of collective punishment and ethnic cleansing. There is an obligation on all of us to take action to end it.
“The principle is one we should all agree on. If a company is profiting from apartheid and genocide against Palestinians it should not be allowed to profit here in Scotland.
“It has taken a lot of work by campaigners to get to this point, and I hope that it sets a precedent that will be followed by governments across Europe and beyond."
Harvie added that boycott campaigns played an important role in challenging apartheid South Africa.
“The UK Government’s role has been utterly shameful, but we can and must do better."
Prior to the vote, Swinney confirmed the Scottish Government would not give any new funding to arms firms who deal with Israel, or any nation “where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed”. This will not affect previously agreed contracts or Government-backed apprenticeships.
He also pledged to provide £400,000 to the charity Kids Operating Room, which creates field hospitals in areas where they are most needed. This fund will be used to set up a “Gaza HOPES Field Readiness Hub” in Scotland, and help build a rapidly deployable field hospital for Gaza.
The Scottish Government will provide medical support for 20 children injured in Gaza to be treated in Scotland, with the first arrivals expected with their families in September.
It was additionally confirmed £600,000 will be donated to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) fund for Palestine, which will provide “life-saving health services, food and nutrition assistance, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, protection services, education support and cash for families.
Throughout the debate in the Scottish Parliament, members of the Scottish Government including the First Minister referred to Israel's actions as a genocide.
He said: "History has taught us that harsh lesson. The last genocide in Europe took place in Srebrenica in 1995. It took until 2007 to be recognised as a genocide.
"History will judge all decision makers about what we have done to react to the facts we can all see. Doing nothing, prevaricating or seeking to avoid difficult decisions is not an option."
In his speech to Parliament prior to the debate, Swinney said we were witnessing "a humanitarian disaster of historic proportions" in Gaza, adding: "The world cannot wait for a final court ruling before acting. The signs are clear. The alarm has been raised."
"Acknowledging that we are witnessing the signs of genocide brings with it a responsibility to act. The people of Scotland expect no less of us," Swinney said.
The pause in new awards of public money to arms companies which supply Israel will cover the Scottish Government itself, the Scottish National Investment Bank and the nation’s enterprise agencies, the First Minister said.
Swinney added it is “time for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the UK-Israel free trade agreement in view of Israel’s behaviour”, and the UK Government should follow Ireland’s lead in prohibiting goods made in the occupied West Bank.
