Prime Minister Humza Yousaf called Israel's actions in Gaza “tantamount to ethnic cleansing” | UK news
Prime Minister Humza Yousaf said Israel's actions in Gaza were “tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
It comes after the Scottish leader called on the UK government to make it clear to Israel that its actions in Gaza went “well beyond a legitimate response” to the October 7 Hamas attack.
In a statement released Friday, Mr. Joseph urged British ministers to use their influence as Israel's key ally to secure an end to hostilities.
The First Minister said the UK government must make it clear that Israeli officials – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military commanders – must be held accountable for civilian deaths if the country “immediately halts indiscriminate attacks” in Gaza.
He added that Hamas leaders should also be held accountable for the “horrific attacks” on Israeli citizens.
Mr Yussoff said the UK government's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire was “disgraceful”.
Speaking to Sky News, the First Minister said: “Frankly, my plea is one of desperation.
“I mean, I see the same images that you see and the same images that your viewers see, day in and day out.
“And I think it's important for every person to raise their voice and say that what we're seeing coming out of Israel, the indiscriminate attacks that we're seeing, go far beyond a legitimate response.
“Now they look like revenge and for quite some time, I must say.
“The UK government is a trusted ally of the Israeli government and they need to make it clear that not only must there be an immediate ceasefire – and I don't know how many more children need to die for the UK government to do that. this statement, but they must also make it clear to their trusted allies and the government of Israel that they will be held accountable for any violations of international law.”
The First Minister is calling for aid to Gaza on the “scale necessary to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe”.
His address came as the UN said 1.9 million people in Gaza had been displaced by the conflict.
The first minister condemned comments by Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who said the country should “encourage migration” of Palestinians from Gaza, prompting international condemnation, including from the US.
Mr Youssef said: “Last week we heard statements from senior ministers in the Netanyahu government – the finance minister, the national security minister – very senior members of the Netanyahu government, and they made statements that the people of Gaza should be resettled, resettled from Gaza , and went so far as to say that Israeli settlements should now be in Gaza.
“If that's not tantamount to ethnic cleansing, I don't know what is.
“And I think political leaders should stop beating around the bush, [and] should call what they see in Gaza for what it is.
“And we're not only seeing a humanitarian crisis, but now we're seeing senior members of the Netanyahu government making statements that are, frankly, the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing.
“And it must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
This week, the UK government issued a statement responding to Mr Smotrich, in which a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “Gaza is an occupied Palestinian territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state.
“The UK strongly rejects any proposals to resettle Palestinians outside of Gaza.”
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house. Photo: Reuters / Ibrahim Abu Mustafa
South Africa has launched a case at the United Nations High Court, which claims that Israel's military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide.
Mr Youssef said he supported any investigation by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He added: “We should encourage them to investigate any potential violations of humanitarian law, any potential war crimes that have been committed, and so on. [to] genocide
“Of course, these potential war crimes must be investigated.
“I don't know how anyone could disagree that this kind of investigation is being conducted.”
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Mr Youssef's mother-in-law, Elizabeth El-Nakla, spoke to Sky News about her time in Gaza after the conflict began
More from Sky News:
What will happen to Gaza after the end of the war?
'My life changed forever': Humza Yousaf's mother-in-law describes fleeing Gaza
Mr. Yusuf's brother-in-law and his family live in Gaza.
His mother and father-in-law, Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, were visiting the city when the conflict erupted last year.
It took the Dundee couple a month to escape through the Rafah border crossing.
First Minister Humza Yousaf posted a family photo online following his relatives' safe return to Scotland last year
Upon returning to the village ScotlandMs El Nakla told Sky News she had “left her heart in Gaza”.
In an interview with Beth Rigby, she said: “Until our family and the people we know and love and everyone in Gaza is safe, I don't think we're going to get over this and I think my life has changed forever.”
Israeli soldiers walk alongside tanks near the Israel-Gaza border on New Year's Day. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Mr Youssef said his family in Gaza had recently been told that the tanks were just a few kilometers away.
He added: “And we haven't heard from them today, so God knows if they made it through the night or not.”
