SCOTTISH Labour's Anas Sarwar has defied the central UK leadership and restated his calls for arms exports to Israel to end – just one day after one of his own MPs refused to back him.
On Sunday, shadow Scotland Office minister Michael Shanks repeatedly declined to support his nominal leader in calls for weapons sales to Israel to end.
Shanks insisted it was "right" not to take a position without having seen UK Government legal advice on the issue – the position taken by the UK Labour leadership.
However, speaking to delegates at the Scottish Trades Union annual congress in Dundee on Monday, Sarwar said it was "clear" that Israel was breaching international law.
“To me, it is clear that the actions of the Israeli forces do not comply with international humanitarian law and therefore the sales of arms to Israel should stop,” Sarwar (below) said.
“We need the violence to end right now.”
Speaking to journalists after after the speech, Sarwar would not confirm nor deny whether he would support the continuation of arms sales to Israel if UK Government lawyers found there was no breach of international humanitarian law.
READ MORE: Israel launches overnight strikes on Gaza amid fears of wider regional war
The UK Labour Party's position is that if the legal advice says arms exports should stop, then they should.
However, in yet another blow to Labour leader Keir Starmer, Sarwar's speech on Monday afternoon marks a clear difference between Scottish and UK Labour policy.
The Scottish Labour leader condemned the attack by Hamas on October 7, adding that it was “the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust”.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas started on October 7, when Hamas killed 1200 Israelis, mostly civilians, in a surprise attack and incursion into southern Israel.
Now, more than one million Palestinians are said to be on the brink of starvation, and the United Nations has said the surge of aid is not being felt in Gaza because of persistent distribution difficulties.
Sarwar continued: “The scenes of death and destruction we witnessed on that day and the attacks on Gaza every day since have left us heartbroken.
READ MORE: International Muslim group distances itself from Scottish Labour MP
“The people of Israel and Palestine desperately deserve peace, security and freedom.
“But right now, we have a terror organisation, Hamas, who have no interest in peace and Netanyahu’s [below] far right Israeli government that isn’t interested in peace either.”
Sarwar added that “the rhetoric and actions of Netanyahu’s government undermine the cause of peace”.
He pointed to humanitarian supplies not being allowed to enter Gaza, as well as the destruction of hospitals and schools and loss of innocent life.
Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 33,700 Palestinians and wounded over 76,200, the Gaza Health Ministry has said.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel