Humza Yousaf urged to end deal with Greens after Maggie Chapman’s Gaza tweet

Humza Yousaf has been urged to end the Bute House Agreement or accept being labelled “an apologist for antisemitism”. 

Scottish Conservative Jackson Carlaw wrote to the first minister following a tweet posted by Green MSP Maggie Chapman at the weekend that said the tragic events that took place in Israel are a “consequence of #Apartheid, of illegal occupation, and of imperial aggression by the Israel state”.  

According to reports, since Saturday 700 people have been killed in Israel and nearly 500 have been killed in Gaza. Palestinian militant groups have claimed to be holding more than 130 captives from the Israeli side. 

The MSP for Eastwood, which is home to Scotland’s largest Jewish community, described Chapman's comments as “vile” and said that her colleagues “regularly post or like messages that are grossly offensive to Jews”. 

He added that the Scottish Greens, who are the only Scottish party who refuse to sign up to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, are “totally unfit for government”. 

In 2015, the Scottish Greens passed a motion at their conference for Hamas to be taken off the international terrorist list. 

Carlaw said: “Maggie Chapman’s vile comments in the wake of Hamas’ appalling attack, which has killed hundreds of Israeli civilians, has rightly provoked outrage on social media. 

“It lays bare the disgusting bigotry that pollutes the Scottish Greens and makes them totally unfit to be a party of government. 

“This post doesn’t come in isolation – her colleagues regularly post or like messages that are grossly offensive to Jews, while the Greens’ refusal to sign up to the IHRA definition of antisemitism tells you all you need to know about their extremism. 

“But Maggie Chapman’s comments are so unacceptable that Humza Yousaf must end the toxic Bute House Agreement and kick the Greens out of his government. If not, he will be deemed an apologist for antisemitism. 

“Angus Robertson, like every right-minded person, has condemned Hamas’ actions, so we can only assume he is uncomfortable being in government with a party which refuses to view Hamas as a terrorist organisation. 

“It defies belief that Maggie Chapman can hold views as callous and abhorrent as these while serving on the equalities committee. Her position on that committee is now untenable.” 

Scottish Greens external affairs spokesperson Ross Greer MSP said: “Deliberately massacring innocent civilians is a war crime and an act of pure evil. We condemn Hamas without hesitation. 

“Palestinians have the right under international law to resist the Israeli occupation by force, but Hamas fighters murdering young people at a music festival and kidnapping wheelchair-bound pensioners is no act of resistance.

“Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine must be recognised as the root cause of these cycles of violence and both Hamas and the Israeli Government held to account for the war crimes they have committed. 

"There is no military solution that does not consign thousands more innocent people, Palestinian and Israeli, to their deaths. The only path to peace starts with Israel ending its siege of Gaza and the occupation of all Palestinian territory. 

“Half of the population of the Gaza Strip are children, so it is critical that a ceasefire is reached before Israel follows through on the threats issued by its military and political leaders."