SNP talks trade and tourism on Israeli trip
THE SCOTTISH National Party has made its first official trip to Israel and the West Bank, holding discussions on the “huge potentials for trading and tourism” with Scotland.
Angus Robertson, leader of the SNP in the House of Commons and deputy leader of the party, was accompanied last week by MPs Kirsten Oswald and Dr Paul Monaghan.
Speaking to the this week, Mr Robertson described the visit as hugely worthwhile and said Scotland could learn lessons from Israel’s economy and its diaspora relations.
“There is much from the start-up nation model which Israel is pursuing so successfully that Scotland should look at closely,” he said.
“Ithinkweneedtobetterunderstand how Israeli society works with the Jewish diaspora — something Scotland can learn from, given that we too have a significant diaspora.”
There were “huge potentials for trading, tourism and other areas. The hightech and IT sectors are areas where I would be very keen for Scotland to work closely with firms, with academic institutions and with public authorities”.
During their week-long trip, the MPs visited Yad Vashem and the Knesset, as well as taking part in the rally commemorating 21 years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.
The MPs held discussions with Rami Hamdallah, the Palestinian Prime Minister, and Isaac Herzog, leader of the Israel Labour Party.
One of the high points was attending a family Shabbat dinner. “It was really nice to be part of that and experience how special it is for Jews — and to be able to do that in Jerusalem,” Mr Robertson said.
Referring to the MPs’ visit to the West Bank, Mr Robertson praised the “professionalism and the knowledge” of the NGOs the group met, which included B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence.
“We were trying to hear from all kinds of different voices, from different directions. I think our programme was extremely balanced. It’s important to hear both from the opposition and from the government — we did that.”
The MP said his party supported a two-state solution, adding he was “very keen that the SNP is able to have a dialogue with Israel and the Palestinians”. He suggested the possibility of Scotland serving as a neutral ground for the two sides to iron out their differences.
“In recent years Scotland hosted the first peace and reconciliation discussions between parliamentarians from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, outside the former Soviet Union,” he said.
“If people find that it’s easier to meet and discuss outside the region, the offer is open.” the destruction of their homes in the face of continuing settlement building as well as ordinary Palestinians living under intolerable conditions in refugee camps and in Hebron.”
Dr Monaghan’s support for “Palestinian rights” has landed him in trouble in the past.
In 2012, during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defence, he tweeted: “Sad to see the proud Jewish race, so ashamedly persecuted by the Nazis, now persecuting the people Dr Monaghan ( left) tweets about meeting IDF officers of #Gaza. Are memories so short?”
When the publicised the comment, Dr Monaghan apologised and subsequently deleted the tweet.