THE Scottish Government is facing calls to confirm it has “no intention” of forging closer ties with Israel amid controversy over a meeting between an SNP minister and an Israeli diplomat.
External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson is facing renewed calls to apologise for the meeting which has sparked conflict within his party.
The Scottish Greens have tabled a parliamentary motion urging the minister to say sorry for meeting Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK Daniela Grudsky Ekstein in secret on August 8.
Details of the meeting were kept under wraps for four days after it took place and The National understands this was at the request of the Israeli embassy, which cited security concerns.
The Greens motion notes the meeting took “place more than three hundred days into Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza” and after an international court ruled the country was “guilty of apartheid, racial segregation, illegal occupation and other crimes under the Geneva Conventions”.
The motion, submitted by co-leader Patrick Harvie, also notes that the Scottish Government described Robertson and the deputy ambassador as discussing “areas of mutual interest”.
It calls on the Scottish Government to apologise and “to confirm to Parliament that the Scottish Government has no intention of developing closer ties to the State of Israel for as long as its actions towards the Palestinian people are in breach of international law”.
Robertson has faced harsh criticism from within his party, including from foreign affairs spokesperson Brendan O’Hara (above), who wrote to the minister to express his anger.
The Westminster group of MPs are thought to be angry with the minister for jeopardising their campaign in the London parliament to be a champion for peace in the Middle East.
He has also faced criticism from senior SNP councillors and some MSPs, including former ministers Elena Whitham and Kevin Stewart.
The Scottish Government was approached for comment.
