THE Jewish Council of Scotland has written to the First Minister after he announced a package of measures against Israel, claiming that labelling Gaza a genocide is “irresponsible”.
On Wednesday, John Swinney told the Scottish Parliament that his Government would take a series of steps in order to comply with its legal obligations to act in the face of genocide. These included ending public funding for any arms firms dealing with Israel, donating £400,000 to establish a field hospital through the charity Kids Operating Room, and supporting Scottish legal experts in collecting evidence to be used in international criminal cases.
In the wake of the measures, Timothy Lovat, the chair of the Jewish Council of Scotland accused the SNP leader of having “chosen to express a position that we are concerned will undermine the safety, security and well-being of the Jewish community in Scotland”.
Lovat wrote to the First Minister on Tuesday. In the letter, he said: “The language used in public discourse matters greatly. In consequence, those who lead our country and our community have an especially significant role in setting the tone of public debate, including ensuring that they use language carefully and responsibly.
“In light of this shared recognition, it is important to us to bring to your attention our concerns about the implications of such a proposed intervention for us and our community.
“It is indisputable that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. It is equally beyond debate that both Israel and Hamas bear responsibility for this tragic situation. For you to assert as First Minister of Scotland that Israel is engaged in a genocidal campaign against Palestinians, however, would, in our view, be irresponsible.
“Ultimately, of course, only a competent court may determine whether and if so how the Genocide Convention may have been breached by Israel.”
Lovat claimed that the Scottish Government, regardless of its actions, was “unlikely to have any impact on the situation in Gaza”, but added: “It is likely to have significant negative implications for our community here in Scotland.”
He went on: “In particular, setting out a stance likely to be publicly perceived simply and without qualification as anti-Israel, without drawing any distinction between the state of Israel and its current leadership, or acknowledging the continuing culpability of Hamas, is likely to have a far greater and more immediate impact locally, fuelling ‘antizionist’ – and antisemitic – hatred and discrimination against Scotland’s Jews and our institutions and symbols, than it is on the situation in the Middle East, let alone in Westminster.”
“Indeed, it would be a tragic irony were our communal institutions, including Scotland’s only Jewish primary school, required to upgrade security provision in consequence of interventions by the Scottish Government and its leadership.”
Last week, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the world's leading academic body on the issue, passed a resolution concluding that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay had asked Swinney how he thought Scotland’s Jewish community would view the decision to act against Israel over the genocide.
The First Minister said: “I met with the Jewish community on Monday. I did so to explain to them face to face what I was thinking about the way in which this issue had to be handled.
“It is not the first time I met the community. I have had regular meetings with the community. I am certain that the community will be disappointed by some of the things that I have said today. I am not in any way in doubt about that.
“But I have to look at the situation in Gaza. I have to think about the responsibility that my ministers carry to act within the law, and that has underpinned the central decision that I have made here today.”
He added: “The current situation in relation to the case of genocide puts ministers in a position that if we don’t take the actions I am taking today, they could be at risk of not operating within the law.”
