'Words not enough': Scottish Greens demand boycott of Israel

A Scottish politician and candidate for Scottish Green Party leadership has told The New Arab that the Scottish Government must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to hold Israel accountable, despite praising First Minister John Swinney's recent recognition of "a genocide in Palestine".

"The Scottish Government has now said that this is a genocide, but they have not taken action," Ross Greer told The New Arab.

"They very often hide behind the excuse that this is primarily an issue of foreign affairs, reserved to Westminster. That's why I've put forward these proposals in areas entirely within the Scottish Government's responsibilities."

Greer compared the matter to Scotland's firm measures against Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine with its muted response to Israel's war on Gaza.

"We are now two years into a live-streamed genocide, and the Scottish Government has never taken any action even close to that in relation to Israel," he said.

"I find it troubling that they have taken the right course of action on Ukraine but failed to do the same with Israel. A company directly aiding the Russian government would be disqualified from receiving any public money in Scotland," he continued.

The MSP for West Scotland wrote to the First Minister with a detailed list of policy recommendations aligned with the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, likening the approach to the anti-apartheid boycott of South Africa, The National reported earlier this week.

He called on the Scottish Government to repeal part of the Local Government Act 1988, enabling councils to block companies involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories from winning contracts.

Greer also pressed for official guidance, urging businesses to halt trade with Israel, to stop funding arms manufacturers supplying Israel, and to cut ties with "all other companies directly complicit in the occupation".

He recommended that pension funds divest from firms "complicit in Israel’s apartheid regime" and suggested using financial penalties on "complicit companies" through surcharges on non-domestic rates.

In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson told The National ministers would "consider" the proposal. Greer noted it had "only been a matter of hours since we submitted this one", but stressed that the Greens have previously made similar proposals to pressure Israel.

He said the issue has become a cross-party concern, reflecting "a very strong level of solidarity for Palestine within Scotland".

"There are many people in the Scottish National Party who’ve campaigned alongside us for Palestinian liberation for years and decades, and they’re really troubled by their party leadership’s behaviour," he said.

Greer cited last year’s public backlash after the Scottish Government’s External Affairs Minister, Angus Robertson, met the deputy Israeli ambassador Daniela Grudsky.

"The Greens demanded an apology, and several SNP MPs said it was unacceptable," he told The New Arab.

He believes his proposals could bring significant change, especially given growing support in the Scottish parliament and society for a tougher stance on Israel since the start of the war on Gaza.

Thatcher's support for apartheid South Africa

Greens explained that the Local Government Act 1988, introduced under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to prevent UK councils from boycotting apartheid South Africa, must be amended.

Thatcher, he noted, was "a strong supporter of apartheid South Africa", and the law prevents councils from considering human rights records when awarding contracts.

His proposal would "simply delete that line" to allow councils to consider geography when awarding contracts and exclude companies involved in Israel's illegal settlements, which he described as "unequivocally the illegal occupation of Palestine" under international law and numerous UN resolutions.

To expedite the change, Greer suggested amending the Community Wealth Building Bill currently before the Scottish Parliament rather than drafting a new law, a process he said would be too lengthy before the next election in March.

"There are constraints on us in terms of international treaties around procurement, but they do not prevent us from disqualifying companies who are involved in illegal activity," he said.

"Because of what the Local Government Act of 1988 says, we are not currently allowed to disqualify companies that are involved in the crime of illegal occupation. That is very specifically a legacy of Margaret Thatcher's support for apartheid South Africa."

Greer linked the proposal to the BDS movement against apartheid South Africa, which he said proved "it works" in applying economic pressure.

He said the aim was to push companies, "not all of them based in Israel", to withdraw from illegal settlements.

"The easiest way for these companies to avoid being hit with these disqualifications is to simply get out of the illegal occupation – end their involvement," he said, adding that those who withdraw should pay reparations.

He vowed that if the First Minister or government fail to respond or reject BDS principles, he will "use every opportunity to raise this in the chamber" to force a reply, including during First Minister’s Questions, committee challenges, and parliamentary debates.

'We need to take action'

If opportunities arise to force parliamentary votes on the issue, Greer said he will pursue them, placing SNP and Labour MSPs who support Palestine "in a very difficult position" with their party leadership if they fail to back his measures.

One such measure includes amending a bill currently progressing through the Scottish parliament to give councils the power to adopt their own BDS proposals, particularly targeting companies identified by the UN as complicit in illegal Israeli settlements.

"We need to take action here, whether it is exactly what I have proposed or some other form of action. The Scottish Government needs to do something. The actions I’ve proposed are doable," Greer told The New Arab.

"We need to play our part in putting pressure on Israel to end this genocide. We need to play our part in isolating and disempowering this apartheid regime. So the Greens will continue campaigning for this," he said.

"People across Scotland will continue putting pressure on their politicians to do something about this, and ultimately, it is up to the SNP and their leadership, the Scottish Government, but it’s up to MSPs from every party how they will vote when we bring these issues to debate."

Note: This article has been updated to clarify that Ross Greer is a Scottish Greens MSP for West Scotland who is standing for the party leadership, rather than the current co-leader.