First minister calls for UK to take Palestinian refugees

Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, has called for the UK to accept Palestinian refugees in the same way as was done for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

The SNP leader addressed the current conflict in the Middle East – to which he has a personal connection.

His wife, Nadia El-Nakla, has been trying to get her parents out of Gaza following the outbreak of the current Israel-Hamas war.

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Speaking to the SNP‘s annual conference in Aberdeen, My Yousaf said that “any form of collective punishment, as we are seeing in Gaza, can never be justified”.

The “2.2 million innocent people cannot pay the price for the actions of Hamas,” he added.

Speaking on what he would like to see done in the UK, Scotland‘s leader said: “In the past, people in Scotland and across the UK have opened our hearts and our homes and welcomed those from Syria, Ukraine and many other countries.

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“We must do so again.

“There are currently around one million people displaced within the Gaza Strip. I am therefore today calling on the international community to commit to a worldwide refugee programme for the people of Gaza.

“I am calling on the UK government to take two urgent steps.

“Firstly, they should immediately begin work on the creation of a refugee resettlement scheme for those in Gaza who want to, and are able to, leave.

“And when they do so, Scotland is willing to be the first country in the UK to offer safety and sanctuary to those caught up in these terrible attacks.”

Speaking of his own family’s experience, Mr Yousaf said: “My brother-in-law is a doctor in Gaza. When we can get through to him on the phone, he tells us of scenes of carnage.

“Hospitals running out of medical supplies, doctors and nurses having to make the most difficult decision of all.

“Who to treat and who to leave to die.

“This cannot be allowed to continue.”

Mr Yousaf has been praised for his response to the conflict in the Middle East, such as hugging the mother of one of the people killed by Hamas while he was visiting a synagogue last week.

On policy, Mr Yousaf U-turned on plans to raise council tax for those in the highest-band properties that was slated for next year.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the proposed increase could see an increase “of between £140 for a band E property and £780 for a band H property, raising up to £175 million per year” – although these are just rough estimates.

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Mr Yousaf went further, saying that Scotland now had plans to borrow on the international bond markets for the first time – but that this would not be new money to spend, instead a way to finance existing spending.

While the announcement on council tax was great by a cheer in the hall, Mr Yousaf’s Tuesday address was not as well attended as Sunday’s debate on independence strategy, nor did it match the excited scenes of Nicola Sturgeon’s visit on Monday.

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