THERE is a “lot of support” in the SNP for a full sporting and economic boycott of Israel, a former MP has said.
It comes after members of the SNP’s sister party in Wales, Plaid Cymru, declared Israel an “apartheid regime” guilty of “genocide, ethnic cleansing and war crimes” during its autumn conference in Cardiff last week.
A motion put forward by the party’s four MPs called for all members of Plaid Cymru, as well as Welsh national sporting and cultural bodies, to support an “economic and cultural boycott” of Israel.
It also called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from the UK.
When asked whether he believes there is an appetite for similar measures in the SNP, former MP for Edinburgh East Tommy Sheppard told The National: “Absolutely.”
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He said: “Senior party officials have been calling for sanctions against Israel. I think there would be a lot of appetite for that.”
The Scottish Government previously said it will not meet with Israeli officials again until “real progress has been made towards peace”.
The move came after the controversy surrounding a meeting between SNP minister Angus Robertson and a senior Israeli diplomat.
But Sheppard said more can be done, adding: “They should review all the operations and see where pressure can be brought to bear. It’s crystal clear now that Benjamin Netanyahu is just refusing to comply with international law and common standards of civilization and decency.
“So he's going to have to be forced to change his position.
“We need to stop all this pussyfooting around talking about him being an ally and realise that international pressure is required.”
Meanwhile, the SNP Trade Union Group (TUG) – the party’s largest affiliate body – has also signalled that it would be in support of such a measure.
SNP TUG convener Bill Ramsay told The National that group would be “very supportive” of such a move within the party and would “most certainly” look into potentially submitting their own motion to push for a boycott of Israel.
More than 42,000 people have since been killed as part of Israel’s war on Gaza,
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