First Minister John Swinney’s recent statement to the Scottish Parliament on the situation in Gaza has provoked criticism from Jewish community leaders and political opponents, who say his language risks inflaming tensions at home and oversteps the constitutional remit of Holyrood.
Swinney told MSPs that events in Gaza amounted to genocide and called on the UK government to cease military cooperation with Israel. He also helped steer the Scottish Government to a successful motion recognising the state of Palestine. The First Minister said he “utterly reject[s] anti-Semitism and all forms of racism and hatred” and that he and External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson had met representatives of Scottish Jewish organisations to offer reassurance.
The Jewish Council of Scotland said the First Minister’s official embrace of the genocide accusation was “irresponsible” and warned it risked undermining the safety and well-being of the Scottish Jewish community. Timothy Lovat, the council’s chair, told reporters that while Swinney and Robertson offered “warm and reassuring words” in meetings, the subsequent statement left the community concerned that it could “fuel ‘anti-Zionist’ – and anti-Semitic – hatred and discrimination against Scotland’s Jews and our institutions and symbols.” The council said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “dire” and that both Israel and Hamas bear responsibility for the tragedy.
Critics outside the Jewish community also argued that the First Minister had exceeded the scope of his office. Foreign affairs are a reserved matter for the UK government at Westminster, and opponents said a devolved administration has no standing to determine breaches of the Genocide Convention or to direct changes in UK military cooperation. Columnist Stephen Daisley, writing in the Daily Mail, said Swinney’s remarks were inflammatory, unnecessary and likely to have greater immediate impact locally than on diplomatic outcomes in the Middle East.
Swinney addressed anticipated accusations of antisemitism during his speech, telling the chamber he wanted to “directly address accusations that that opinion could be seen as anti-Semitic.” He said he rejected antisemitism and acknowledged that events in Israel, Gaza and their reverberations in Scotland have caused anxiety for Jewish people in the country.
The Jewish Council pointed to potential local consequences of government rhetoric, saying that institutions such as Scotland’s only Jewish primary school might need to upgrade security in response to heightened tensions. The Community Security Trust, a UK charity that records anti-Semitic incidents and funds security provision for Jewish institutions, reported 1,521 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK in the first six months of this year, including 24 at Jewish schools and 41 against Jewish children on their way to or from school.
Swinney’s statement and the Scottish Government’s parliamentary motion also drew scrutiny over how they address Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza. Swinney referred to Hamas’s role in the conflict but did not set out a policy for disarming or otherwise addressing the group in his remarks, a point raised by commentators who said recognition of a Palestinian state would, in effect, be recognition of the authority that holds power in Gaza.
Polling cited by commentators and analysts underscores the complexities in Palestinian public opinion. The Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) reported that in December 2023, 72% of Palestinians backed Hamas’s October 7 attack; a later poll put that figure at about 50% while showing 77% opposed to disarming Hamas. In a hypothetical legislative election posed by PCPSR in May, Hamas received 43% support, ahead of other parties.
Proponents of recognition in Scotland and elsewhere have framed the move as a moral response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and a bid to shift international diplomacy. Opponents counter that recognition without a plan to address governance and security in Palestinian territories risks rewarding a leadership that includes or is controlled by armed groups.
Legal and constitutional questions have been flagged by commentators and some politicians. Determinations of genocide and other breaches under the Genocide Convention are typically the subject of international legal processes rather than unilateral declarations by subnational governments, critics noted. The Scottish Government maintains that it has a role in expressing the moral stance of Scotland and in influencing international debate, while opponents say practical foreign policy powers remain with Westminster.
The row comes against a backdrop of heightened public debate across Britain over the Israel-Hamas war that began after Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israeli authorities reported that around 1,200 people were killed in the initial attacks, and more than 250 Israelis were abducted, figures widely cited in international reporting. The ensuing military operations in Gaza have produced a severe humanitarian crisis, drawing international calls for aid and for protection of civilians.
Swinney’s remarks have intensified scrutiny of how devolved leaders engage with international crises and the domestic consequences of such interventions. Jewish community leaders in Scotland say they seek measured leadership that reduces local tensions and protects vulnerable communities, while others argue that moral clarity on international human rights issues is a legitimate part of public office.
The Scottish Government has said it will continue to engage with community leaders and to set out its positions in the coming days. Parliamentary debate on recognition of Palestine and related motions is expected to remain a contentious issue in Holyrood and to draw further attention from national and international observers as discussions about devolved competence, community safety and international law continue.