Scotsman Letters: UK must act to end violations of humanitarian law in Gaza

A Palestinian boy fills a cup with drinking water during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah at the weekend

The indiscriminate killings of Gazans including huge numbers of children is a crime – collective punishment, as is the siege which has stopped fuel, electricity and water. This has also been described as genocide, as Israel has used language to show they regard Gazans, semitic people, as less than human

The driving of tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and destroying the infrastructure in Gaza so they cannot return is a crime – ethnic cleansing.

Sir Keir has supported sending arms to Israel. He won’t call for a ceasefire even now as the crimes unfold. More than 240 British lawyers have called on the UK Government to ask for a ceasefire in Gaza because of serious breaches of international law. They also say the UK Government must act to bring to the end the violations of humanitarian law.

Nearly a quarter of Labour MPs have publicly called for a ceasefire, defying Sir Keir. Many say they are receiving huge amounts of correspondence from concerned constituents.

Alone of the UK politicians, First Minister Humza Yousaf stands out as upholding international law. He has offered comfort to those murdered by Hamas and condemned collective punishment as a crime. He has asked for a ceasefire for the sake of innocent children. The horrific approach of the two major parties at Westminster to international affairs is a warning to us all.

Pol Yates, Edinburgh

Regan defection

Humza Yousaf’s reaction to MSP Ash Regan defecting to Alba seems to be unnecessarily ungracious, describing her as “no great loss” to his party, despite her having been seen as good enough to have been a minister and also having been a candidate for its leadership.

He made a particular point of saying that she wasn’t elected as a constituency MSP because of any personal vote, but because of the colour of rosette that she was wearing, an astonishing thing for any party leader to suggest, not least because this is almost certainly true.

The type of person who will sign an agreement not to criticise their party is not the sort of person you want representing you as a constituent.

Someone explained to me once the change they had witnessed in Scottish politics over 20 years or so. Where you used to be able to put a red rosette on a donkey and people would still vote for it, you can now put a yellow rosette on a dead sheep and achieve the same effect, such is the decline in standards that we have witnessed, and the First Minister is simply drawing attention to this with his remarks.

The expectation from our politicians has become very low indeed. It does seem, however, that donkeys are back in demand again, suggesting that some improvement might be taking place.

Donkeys can at least do some good. Dead sheep, not so much.

Ms Regan, in joining a party that struggles to get 1 per cent of the vote, is certainly not defecting as a career move, but at least she had a mind of her own to do it. We can give her some credit for that.

Victor Clements, Aberfeldy, Perthshire

Covid messages

I would hope that the missing WhatsApp Covid messages from Scottish Government ministers might have revealed why they chose to diverge from UK guidance on the basis of the same or similar scientific advice.

I could imagine “Let’s be different from Boris”, or “We need to be firmer than Boris”, or “Let’s announce this and put Boris in a difficult position” messages. What I can’t imagine is a discussion about the wisdom of placing untested elderly people into care homes holding the most vulnerable. That would require a degree of challenge which seemed to be missing from the Sturgeon-era leadership.

Get them all in front of a judge-led inquiry with the possibility of contempt of court sentences for those who can’t or won’t remember. Then we mightget to the truth. Unfortunately for the families who lost relatives, there feels little chance of the truth being uncovered without these messages.

Brian Barbour, Berwick Upon Tweed

Failed politicians

Public life always has a shortage of soundly motivated volunteers. Those who want the job know they can say so, regardless of background. The problems arise when they get elected and find themselves surrounded by morally illiterate people. Many heed the warning signs before selection for candidacy.

The government of Scotland is in place to run the country, but that’s not what’s happening. Instead of trains, ferries, instant medicine and properly-fed children, there is an expensive ministry of constitution planning a future which is not the government’s call but the people’s, strictly an elective decision and no place for public money. Any MSP who voted for that should be surcharged for the costs.

Maybe the decks will get cleared at forthcoming elections, but 2026 is a long time to abide this bunch of overpaid wasters and posers.

Tim Cox, Switzerland

A9 dualling

John Swinney took to social media last week to inform us that he has spoken to SGN (Scottish Gas Network) regarding “unacceptable delays again on the A9 due to roadworks. Apparently the current situation is intolerable.

Here’s an thought, Mr Swinney. If your party had dualled the A9 as you promised to do, then a contraflow could be in place and these delays would not be as bad. It has been within your power to deal with this for over a decade.

Jane Lax, Aberlour, Moray

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Scotsman Letters: UK must act to end violations of humanitarian law in Gaza

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