The Scottish Parliament must send a loud and clear message: Ceasefire now
The Scottish Parliament must support the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, says the Scottish Greens external affairs spokesperson, Ross Greer MSP.
Speaking in a Holyrood debate on the conflict, Mr Greer called for an end to Israel’s relentless bombing, the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas and the delivery of humanitarian aid and support for displaced people.
Opening his speech, Mr Greer said: “The Scottish Greens mourn the loss of every innocent life, Palestinian and Israeli. We condemn every act of terror, whether it's Hamas attacking a music festival or Israel attacking a hospital.
“Terrorism is to be condemned, regardless of who is responsible. Hamas are quite clearly responsible for acts of terrorism, of pure evil. So are the Israeli government and the extremist Israeli settlers illegally occupying the West Bank.”
Arguing that a ‘humanitarian pause’ does not go far enough, Mr Greer said: “The killing must stop. Not pause, stop. What would be the purpose of pauses of a few hours? To give Gazans a break to drink some water they don’t have? To eat some food they don’t have?
“The bodies are piling up in the streets. The morgues are full and it isn’t even safe to bury the dead. There are reports of hundreds of families wiped out entirely, no survivors left to carry on their name. Gaza’s small Christian community, whose presence in their lands goes back to the time of Christ himself, faces total destruction.”
Mr Greer concluded by saying: “No-one is free until everyone is free. Palestinian lives must be equal to that of Israelis or Scots. Scotland has a proud history of standing in solidarity with our Palestinian friends. Today we will do so again as we call for an end to the killing. Today one message will come clearly from this Parliament: ceasefire now.”