What is the row over the SNP’s Angus Robertson meeting an Israeli ambassador?

A row over a meeting between Angus Robertson and the Israeli deputy ambassador to the UK has caused turmoil in the SNP.

The upset led to demands for Robertson to be sacked from the Scottish Government’s cabinet, and the long-serving politician has now issued a lengthy statement saying "no one intended that this meeting be presented as legitimatising the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza".

That's after one MSP who did defend the meeting, John Mason, has lost the SNP whip over his comments on the matter.

And the issue led to questions too about John Swinney’s leadership.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Robertson met with Israel’s Daniela Grudsky Ekstein on August 8. As Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, it’s part of the MSP’s job to represent the Scottish Government in talks with representatives of foreign governments. But given the ongoing violence in Gaza, this meeting has proven to be particularly controversial.

The meeting took place in Edinburgh, after which Grudsky tweeted an image of herself and Robertson with the caption: “Thank you Angus Roberston for welcoming us to wonderful Scotland. Discussed the unique commonalities between [Israel and Scotland] and also emphasised the urgent need to bring back our 115 hostages. Looking forward to cooperating in the fields of technology, culture and renewable energy.”

Grudsky’s message was different to that sent out to the media by the Scottish Government, which was as follows: “The Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson, met the deputy ambassador of Israel to the UK, Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, on 8 August. They discussed areas of mutual interest, including culture, renewable energy, and engaging the country’s respective diasporas.

“Following the criminal and far-right acts we have seen in parts of England and Northern Ireland, the cabinet secretary emphasised the Scottish Government’s continued work with Police Scotland to protect Scotland’s faith communities and tackle all hate crimes, including antisemitism, head-on.

“Mr Robertson reiterated the Scottish Government’s position in calling for an immediate ceasefire by all sides in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages and the opening of safe routes to allow more humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza."

WHAT WAS THE REACTION?

The Scottish Greens immediately slammed what they called the “secret” meeting, with the party’s Ross Greer condemning what he called a “shameless two-faced approach from the SNP”.

That followed 10 months in which the Scottish Government had called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a position shared by the Scottish Parliament. Former first minister Humza Yousaf, whose wife Councillor Nadia El-Nakla has a Palestinian father, urged the UK to stop selling arms to Israel and gave £250,000 of aid to relief efforts in Gaza. El-Nakla’s relatives, including her mother and father, were trapped in Gaza when the siege began.

Israel’s prolonged attack followed the 7 October terror attack by Hamas-led gunmen, in which around 1,200 were killed and 250 taken hostage. Authorities in Gaza say around 40,000 people there have been killed.

Grudsky’s tweet raised questions from former Scottish Government minister Kevin Stewart and serving minister Ivan McKee, amongst others. SNP veteran Sandra White called for an urgent motion to be raised at the party’s conference in Edinburgh later this month and, on social media, some users said they were cancelling or reconsidering their SNP memberships over the matter.

WHAT HAS JOHN SWINNEY SAID?

Addressing the controversy, the first minister issued a public statement which he may have hoped would draw a line under the matter. He said: “Last week the Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs met the Israeli UK Deputy Ambassador to express the Scottish Government's clear and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“The Scottish Government received the meeting request and accepted on the basis it would provide an opportunity to convey our consistent position on the killing and suffering of innocent civilians in the region.

“I understand why some believe a face-to-face meeting was not appropriate, however, I thought it necessary to outline our long-standing position on an immediate ceasefire directly, and explicitly, to one of Israel's representatives in the UK.

“As first minister and SNP leader, I will never hold back in expressing support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, an end to UK arms being sent to Israel, and the recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state within a two-state solution.”

But the debate intensified after SNP MP Brendan O’Hara wrote to Robertson on the matter.

WHAT DID THE LETTER SAY?

In a letter seen by Holyrood, O’Hara, the party’s Westminster spokesperson on the Middle East, said the meeting would “lend legitimacy” to the Israeli government, which is under investigation for potential war crimes, and accused Robertson of “undermining” MPs’ work on the conflict.

SNP MPs tabled an opposition day debate on a ceasefire in February in an action which then saw Labour do the same. In the rebellion that followed, as many as 56 Labour MPs backed the SNP’s motion calling for an immediate ceasefire and the issue also led to scrutiny of Westminster procedures.

O’Hara – whose letter was backed by SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and the rest of the party’s MP group – said Robertson had “completely undermined the months of diligent hard work”. And he said “no such discussions should be taking place with a government who is responsible for causing such unfathomable pain and suffering”.

Since then, SNP national secretary Lorna Finn has publicly condemned the meeting in what was a highly unusual move for an official in her position. Her statement, which called the talks “unconscionable”, was backed by former equalities minister Emma Roddick.

And, in a letter to Swinney, SNP veteran Christine Grahame called Robertson a “liability”. But weekend reports suggest Robertson was following Swinney’s orders.

The Sunday Mail reported that Swinney was invited to the meeting but sent an “engagement request” to Robertson instead. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The deputy ambassador originally requested meetings with several ministers, including the first minister. It is not customary protocol for a first minister to engage with diplomats at the level of deputy ambassador.

“The Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs represents all portfolios externally and sees diplomats as a core function of his role. As such, he undertook this meeting.”

Ruth Maguire MSP told the Herald: “I understand the responsibility of governments to foster good international relations and appreciate that diplomatic meetings can offer the opportunity to raise issues of concern.

“However, I share in the anger, hurt, frustration and frankly embarrassment felt by many party members that a Scottish Government cabinet secretary has allowed themselves to appear to legitimise a genocidal, apartheid regime who continue to commit war crimes.”

WHO HAS DEFENDED THE MEETING?

John Mason MSP, who has lost the whip after contesting claims that Israel was perpetrating genocide in Gaza. Mason also met Grudsky and said that “if Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many” people.

SNP MSPs will decide on a potential fixed suspension for Mason when the Scottish Parliament reconvenes in September.

Former MP Stewart McDonald said the response to the meeting is “not a pretty sight”. Defending Robertson as someone who “understands the nuances of geopolitics”, he said the photo with Grudsky had been “a mistake”, stating: “We are in danger of creating a circular firing squad and, whilst there are undoubtedly things that could and should have been handled better, we’ve managed to make a conflict in the Middle East about ourselves. That’s never a good place to be and, to me, it’s actually the most problematic.”

WHAT HAS ANGUS ROBERTSON SAID?

Robertson said he accepted the meeting request and it was “rightly” his decision to do so, but Swinney was made aware of it.

He said the Scottish Government anticipated the deputy ambassador would r“aise concerns about antisemitism, as well as other issues”, and he had taken it as an opportunity to express the Scottish Government's clear and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza”.

Robertson said: “No one intended that this meeting be presented as legitimatising the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. The Scottish Government has been consistent in our unequivocal condemnation of the atrocities we have witnessed in Gaza.

“The reality, however, is that this meeting has been taken by many to represent a normalisation of relations between the Israeli and Scottish Governments.

“As such, it is clear that it would have been better to ensure that the meeting was strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the appalling loss of life in the region. I apologise for the fact that this did not happen.

“Going forward, it is clear that, having now spoken direct to the Israeli government and making them aware of our position on an immediate ceasefire, it would not be appropriate to accept any invitation for a further meeting.

“This will remain our position until such time as real progress has been made towards peace, unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance is provided and Israel cooperates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes.

“The Scottish Government does not support any normalisation of its relations with the Israeli government during this period.

“The Scottish Government will never hold back in expressing support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, an end to UK arms being sent to Israel, and the recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state within a two-state solution.”