Scotland joins movement to boycott Israel
The Scottish Greens have welcomed Scottish Government support for calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel and companies complicit in the genocide in Gaza and the illegal settlements.
The call was made as an amendment moved by Green MSP Patrick Harvie this afternoon as part of a Scottish Government debate on Palestine. It followed an announcement that Scotland will no longer fund arms companies that are profiting from the destruction of Gaza.
Ahead of the debate, the Greens wrote to the First Minister proposing a range of sanctions that could be applied by Holyrood.
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.
“Boycott campaigns played an important role in challenging apartheid in South Africa, and have an equally important role to play in opposing Israeli apartheid and the killing in Gaza.
“We will continue to press for as much action as possible in Scotland and will work with the Scottish Government to deliver it.
“The UK government’s role has been utterly shameful, but we can and must do better. I hope that today’s vote is a turning point in ensuring that Scotland plays no role in boosting or enabling Israel’s war machine.”