LONDON

The Scottish National Party (SNP) and Scottish Greens have called for irreversible and unconditional recognition of Palestinian statehood, which must also be backed by sanctions against Israel if the violence continues.

Scottish political parties have warned that recognition of Palestine must be "irreversible" and free of "leverage" in response to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Tuesday announcement that Britain will back Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel meets certain conditions.

Starmer said his government would move to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agrees to a ceasefire, and commits to a long-term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.”

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that France would officially recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly in September.

John Swinney, the first minister of Scotland and the leader of the SNP, welcomed Starmer's step but stressed that the recognition should be "irreversible."

"Recognition must not be conditional and must be backed by sanctions against Israel if the violence continues," he noted in a statement on Tuesday.

He also called on the Israeli government to commit to ending the killing and comply with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes.

So far, 149 of the UN’s 193 member states have recognized Palestine – a number that has steadily risen since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023.

Starmer's announcement came amid mounting pressure on the British government as more than 250 lawmakers signed a letter that demanded the government recognize Palestinian statehood.

'Palestinian statehood is a right, not leverage'

Scottish Greens also pointed out the same issue, saying that recognition of Palestine is decades overdue and should not be conditional.

"Keir Starmer must immediately recognise the state of Palestine, call out the ongoing genocide, and stop aiding the Israeli military with training, weapons and intelligence," the party wrote on X.

Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens and MSP (member of Scottish Parliament) for the Lothian Region said: "Palestinian statehood is a right. Not leverage. Shame on Starmer."

For his part, Ross Greer, Green MSP for the West of Scotland, labelled the conditional recognition as a "profoundly unjust act," accusing the Labour Party of being "complicit" in Israel's crimes.

"Starmer wouldn't threaten to withdraw UK recognition of Israel, but he's made recognition of Palestinian statehood conditional on the actions of their genocidal oppressor," he wrote on X.

"Recognition of Palestine is decades overdue and should not be conditional," Gillian Mackay, Scottish Green MSP for Central Scotland, wrote Wednesday in a post on X.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,000 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.