John Swinney holds meeting with head of Palestinian Mission to the UK

First Minister John Swinney has spoken with the head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK.

Swinney held a virtual meeting with Husam Zomlot during which he discussed the current situation in Gaza.

Swinney and external affairs secretary Angus Robertson have come under pressure from within the SNP following a meeting earlier this month with Israel’s deputy ambassador, Daniela Grudsky.

In a message posted to X (formerly Twitter), Swinney said: “As first minister of Scotland, I will never hold back in expressing support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the recognition of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state within a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace alongside each other.”

Earlier this week, the Scottish Government said it was suspending meetings with Israel following a furious backlash from with the SNP.

In a statement released on Monday, Robertson confirmed he had agreed to the meeting as “an opportunity to express the Scottish Government's clear and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza”.

He added: “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.”