The Scottish Parliament has spent much of the opening weeks of its new session debating Gaza and broader Palestinian issues, prompting action by ministers and renewed arguments over the boundaries of devolved power.
First Minister John Swinney made a statement on Gaza, the Scottish Government held a wider debate on Palestine, and Holyrood has moved on a series of non-legislative measures. The government ordered the Palestinian flag to be flown over St Andrew’s House, called on the UK to tear up a free trade deal with Israel, urged the cessation of military cooperation with the Israel Defence Forces and sought a ban on imports from Israeli communities in the occupied West Bank. The Scottish Government announced the suspension of grants to defence firms that supply the IDF, advised public bodies against supporting trade with Israel, and allocated funds for humanitarian assistance: £400,000 for a pop-up hospital in Gaza and £600,000 for a Palestinian humanitarian fund.
Holyrood has also moved motions and backbench proposals. A government motion endorsed recognition of Palestinian statehood, while other motions lodged by SNP backbenchers included an allegation that Israel is committing "scholasticide" in Gaza — targeting educational institutions — and a proposal condemning Israel’s membership of the Union of European Football Associations. Swinney referenced Gaza among the first priorities for the session, ahead of the economy, jobs, the health service, education and crime, underscoring the prominence of the issue in parliamentary business.
The parliamentary activity has drawn both support and criticism. Proponents in the Scottish Government and among SNP and Green MSPs say the actions reflect public concern for the plight of civilians in Gaza. Finance Secretary Shona Robison told Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser that people in Scotland "care deeply about the plight of people in Gaza and they expect their nation’s parliament to care, too." SNP MSP George Adam said critics should "take a long, hard look" at themselves and asserted that "Scotland has a voice and a role in the world."
Ross Greer, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, has said he hopes the government will "stretch the limits of devolution" in opposing what he described as Israel’s "genocidal assault on Palestine." Greer has also proposed investigations into Scots who have served in the Israel Defence Forces for potential participation in war crimes, a proposal that has fueled debate about legal jurisdiction and the reach of devolved justice.
Critics argue the parliamentary focus on Gaza amounts to Holyrood encroaching on reserved foreign policy and defence matters. In a column for the Daily Mail, commentator Stephen Daisley wrote that the Scottish Parliament was becoming "a part-time parliament" that had devoted more time to Palestine than to local issues. Daisley characterised the parliamentary interventions as a failure to separate international political convictions from duties to Scottish constituents and noted that foreign affairs, including recognition of states and military cooperation, are reserved to the UK Government under the devolution settlement.
Daisley also criticised Swinney’s remarks about Qatar, writing that the First Minister showed a "superficial, amateurish grasp" of the region by describing Qatar as a state working to broker peace, and described proposals to investigate Scots who served in the IDF as "sinister" for potentially intimidating those who volunteer for foreign armed forces. The column called on Westminster to act, suggesting changes to the Scotland Act and Holyrood’s standing orders to bar discussion of reserved areas, prohibit Scottish ministers from making international aid commitments and to strengthen Section 35 powers that allow the UK Government to block devolved legislation affecting reserved matters.
Scottish ministers have defended their actions as expressions of moral concern and as measures within the scope of devolved competencies, particularly in areas such as public procurement, grant-making and humanitarian assistance. The Scottish Government said it was responding to public concern and using powers available to it to take symbolic and practical steps.
Westminster has so far issued limited public criticism of Holyrood’s recent moves, and the debate has underscored ongoing tensions in the UK over the boundaries between devolved and reserved responsibilities. Constitutional lawyers and political commentators note that while foreign affairs are reserved, devolved governments can sometimes use policy levers such as procurement rules, investment policies and public statements to signal positions on international issues without changing UK foreign policy.
The row adds to long-standing discussions about the distribution of competences between Holyrood and Westminster and may intensify calls from some quarters for clearer rules on parliamentary business and ministerial conduct where statements or actions could affect UK-wide foreign relations. Scottish ministers say they will continue to act on humanitarian concerns for civilians in Gaza; critics say those actions risk blurring the line between domestic governance and international policy.
As the session progresses, the debate within Scotland and between Holyrood and Westminster is likely to continue, with supporters and opponents of the government’s course framing their arguments in terms of moral obligation, legal competence and constitutional principle. The issue raises questions about how devolved parliaments should respond to international crises and where the line should be drawn between symbolic measures and actions that could affect the UK’s diplomatic position.