SNP errors of judgement must be rectified quickly

I am staunchly of the opinion that the meeting was a mistake full stop and should never have taken place. Quite a spectacular error of judgement in fact, as no serious state would entertain another that has been told by the International Court of Justice to take all measures to avoid genocide.

But there has been a lot of commentary to the contrary, and it’s something I want to unpack because that argument feels loudly dystopian.

I’ve debated people on this earlier in the week both on Mornings with Kaye Adams and Good Morning Scotland, and on both occasions the argument was put to me that Scotland has a responsibility to “talk to people we don’t necessarily like” if we are to be taken seriously as a world player.

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As if the credibility of Scotland as a state depends on whether or not we can entertain accused war criminals with a straight face in the name of diplomacy. As has felt the case for the entirety of Israel’s livestreamed genocide in Gaza, there is a collective gaslighting at play.

We’re somehow still at a point, despite being in the eleventh month of watching Palestinians being brutalised and mass-slaughtered by the IDF, where Israel is still only being spoken of as if they are some kind of school playground bully that needs a firm word from a sensible mediator. When in fact, we are talking about a state that has been under investigation for the crime of genocide. A state whose prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (below), is wanted by the International Criminal Court to answer for potential war crimes.

Can there be a more serious charge against another state when we’re talking about diplomatic relations? If genocide is not the red line for the diplomatic sanction of a state, dare I ask what might qualify?

From where I’m standing, Scotland’s credibility as a state will be determined first and foremost by how she responds to flagrant contraventions of international law. It will be determined by how she stands against egregious human rights abuses, without apology.

A serious state respects, upholds and abides by the international law of the land, it does not curry favour with those who blatantly have no regard for it.

While Robertson’s apology was welcome and necessary, this was not a small lapse in judgement. This was a lapse of epic proportions that has significantly damaged the party’s credibility on Palestine after months of campaigning at grassroots, member level and lobbying in parliament by elected SNP politicians.

The SNP have by far, alongside the Greens, been the strongest party in opposition to Israeli military action across Gaza and the occupied West Bank – and that was a reflection of the wishes of their wider membership, who voted to pass an emergency motion at last years annual National Conference solidifying the party’s support for the people of Palestine.

The SNP have long been a friend to Palestine, and SNP Friends of Palestine has been an established subgroup of the party for many years – currently presided over by SNP councillor and wife of former first minister Humza Yousaf – Nadia El-Nakla, who is herself of Palestinian heritage.

I don’t doubt that Robertson’s intentions for the meeting were exactly as he laid out in his apology. He is a talented politician and an obvious choice for the role of External Affairs Secretary given his wealth of experience, but he missed the mark massively with this.

Not only that, but he allowed the narrative to be lost and therefore driven by the Israeli embassy. It wasn’t just one misjudged decision – but a slew of them.

I’m not sure an apology will cut it.

Between this, the ending of free bus travel for asylum seekers, the return of peak train fares and the end of the Winter Fuel Payment (which is, granted, a Labour induced problem), there have been a number of policy decisions in the last week alone that hint to an uncomfortable conference upcoming for the party – with a difficult election result to face down on top.

John Swinney has not had a glowing first few months in office, albeit he inherited a uniquely difficult position, it is also necessary to draw a line in terms of the allowance that we make for that.

As a party member, and despite having the utmost respect for him and his service to Scotland over the years, I have my reservations about the SNP that he is currently presiding over.

I have found myself at odds with decisions taken on multiple occasions over the last few months, and at times have been plainly unable to defend them. While Robertson seemed to take the fall this time, Swinney was aware and chose to allow it to proceed. There should be accountability at all levels.

It has been a difficult year for the SNP, and if we are to recover from it, conference needs to produce some watertight and member-led strategy for how we press ahead. It’s difficult to escape the feeling that the party is flailing post-election, as well as being steered entirely by a small team at the top – even when it contradicts the express wishes of party members.

Though I have suspicions that this might be a quieter conference, with a significantly smaller number of young people in attendance, it is one of the most vital in recent years.

READ MORE: John Swinney speaks out after meeting with Palestinian ambassador

There has been discomfort about decision-making and strategy in recent months, and conference is the members’ opportunity to shape that strategy democratically. If we want to see progress electorally, the leadership needs to approach it with a willingness to listen while the membership must harness the passion and grassroots talent that the party was built on.

SNP Friends of Palestine has confirmed that the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary are working with them to repair the damage caused over the last weeks, and we can only hope that work will be reflected in the conference programme next weekend. Time will tell, but what we’ve seen so far doesn’t yet go far enough.