Brother of Hamas sufferer accuses SNP of double requirements on Israel

The brother of a British-Israeli man killed by Hamas has accused the SNP of double requirements in its stance on Israel.

Bernard Cowan, initially from Glasgow, was killed by Hamas gunmen in his house on a kibbutz in Southern Israel through the 7 October assault.

The 57-year-old left his household in Scotland when he was simply 19 to maneuver to Israel.

Then first minister Humza Yousaf was broadly praised after he embraced Mr Cowan’s grieving mom throughout a go to to Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue in East Renfrewshire just a few days after his demise.

Mr Cowan’s brother, Colin Cowan, mentioned he now believed Mr Yousaf had merely used the assembly along with his mom as a photograph alternative and questioned how honest he has been in his feedback on the time.

He additionally mentioned he had been angered by criticism of Exterior Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson, who apologised after assembly an Israeli diplomat earlier this month.

Mr Cowan mentioned Scottish Jews needed First Minister John Swinney to acknowledge the “reliable fears” of the group and to fulfill them.

An SNP spokesperson mentioned the celebration stood “completely in opposition to” antisemitism, and the primary minister mentioned he would be thankful for the chance to fulfill Mr Cowan and his household.

Mr Robertson was closely criticised by a number of senior members of his personal celebration – together with former SNP ministers Emma Roddick, Kevin Stewart and Elena Whitham – after he met Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK Daniela Grudsky on 8 August.

Mr Robertson subsequently mentioned he was sorry that the assembly was not “strictly restricted” to talks a couple of ceasefire.

He mentioned the Scottish authorities wouldn’t settle for additional invites to fulfill Israeli diplomats till “actual progress” had been made in the direction of peace and humanitarian help, and till Israel “co-operates totally with its worldwide obligations on the investigation of genocide and struggle crimes”.

The SNP additionally withdrew the celebration whip from MSP John Mason over social media posts through which he questioned whether or not Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

Greater than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed on account of Israeli navy motion in Gaza for the reason that 7 October assaults, the Hamas-run well being ministry has mentioned.

That equates to about 1.7% of the two.3 million inhabitants of the territory, with satellite tv for pc picture evaluation suggesting almost 60% of buildings in Gaza have been broken or destroyed for the reason that starting of the struggle.

Mr Cowan mentioned he believed Israel was being “focused” because the Scottish authorities had met with representatives from different nations with “horrible civil rights” comparable to Turkey.

“Israel is the one Jewish state on the planet,” he advised BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland. “The definition of antisemitism is prejudice in opposition to Jewish individuals.

“So if the Scottish authorities aren’t prepared to speak to Israel, is that not being prejudiced in opposition to Jewish individuals?

“Why is it that Israel is being focused when each different Western nation is kind of joyful to speak to Israel? If you would like a balanced, neutral view, you must meet with either side.”

Talking on the service on 12 October on the Giffnock Newton Mearns Synogogue at which he met Mr Cowan’s mom, Mr Yousaf mentioned he stood in solidarity with Scotland’s Jewish group.

He added: “I would like you to know that this primary minister, who’s proudly Muslim, shares the ache of our Jewish communities.

“Your heartbreak is my heartbreak. Your loss is my loss. Your tears are my tears.”

Mr Yousaf has been a vocal critic of the Israeli navy motion in Gaza, which says has gone “approach past a reliable response” and has been “tantamount to ethnic cleaning”.

Mr Cowan mentioned he now believed Mr Yousaf had used the service on the synogogue as a “photograph alternative” and questioned how real he had been.

“On the time, it appeared fairly real,” he mentioned.

“However a few of what he mentioned lately, it would not appear so real anymore. It appears a bit biased, what he did on the time.”

Mr Yousaf mentioned his ideas have been with the entire households impacted by the 7 October assault, in addition to households in Gaza “who’ve been devastated by Israel’s horrendous actions”.

He mentioned: “Once I participated within the service of solidarity at Giffnock Shul in October final 12 months, it was at a time of utmost private grief as my in-laws continued to be trapped in a warzone in Gaza, not realizing whether or not they would stay or die day-by-day.

“My dedication to the Jewish group then, and now, is to be an ally within the face of antisemitism, and I’m pleased with my lifelong campaigning in opposition to hatred in all of its types, and imagine that Islamaphobia and antisemitism are two sides of the identical coin.”

However he mentioned that criticism of the actions of the federal government of Israel was not antisemitism.

“Whereas I assist diplomacy, even with nations we essentially disagree with, there should be limits,” he mentioned.

“That’s the reason I assist the Scottish authorities making certain there will not be regular diplomatic relationships with the federal government of Israel till they adjust to their worldwide obligations and stop killing civilians with impunity.”

Mr Cowan mentioned he had seen a spike in antisemitism for the reason that escalation between Israel and Gaza following the 7 October assaults.

“I’ve by no means felt so unsafe in Scotland as I’ve within the final 12 months,” he mentioned.

“Strolling down the road, would I be focused in the event that they knew I used to be Jewish? It’s positively an unsafe feeling in the intervening time.

“There have been quite a few incidents of buildings being attacked, individuals being attacked since 7 October. The Palestinian assist that we see, the protests on a weekly foundation, makes us really feel unsafe.”

He advised BBC Scotland that his family members dwelling in Israel had been displaced amid the continued violence.

“They’re not dwelling of their house, they’re dwelling elsewhere,” he mentioned.

“They’re distraught. They’ve misplaced a father, husband, grandfather, we’ve misplaced a brother, my mum’s misplaced a son. It’s laborious.

“It’s not straightforward when somebody so younger is taken. We’re nonetheless reeling from it.”

An SNP spokesperson mentioned the celebration stood “completely in opposition to” antisemitism.

They mentioned: “Following final 12 months’s horrific assaults by Hamas, SNP coverage has been constant and clear that hostages should be launched, a direct ceasefire should be put in place and {that a} viable Palestine state should be recognised inside a two-state resolution the place Israelis and Palestinians can stay alongside one another in peace.”