Anas Sarwar blasted after calling Benjamin Netanyahu 'war criminal'

The National

a day ago

The Scottish Greens said the Scottish Labour leader failed to "understand the devastating scale of death and destruction happening in Palestine", pointing towards Labour's "complicity" in the genocide.
It comes after Sarwar said there is a "plausible case for genocide" committed by Israel, as he conceded that "there's still more" for the Labour Government to look at.
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In an interview with the PA news agency, Sarwar said: 'The problem here is Benjamin Netanyahu, his Israel government, his illegal occupation, his lack of interest in peace and the fact that he clearly has no respect for international law, and gives no value to the sanctity of human life.
'He is a danger to his own population in Israel, but he's also a danger to the Palestinian population and a danger to the wider region in the Middle East.'
He added: 'We all have to be resolute in saying that Netanyahu is a war criminal, he's not acting in the interests of peace.
'He's not a partner for peace, Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed horrific acts on October 7 2023 – they aren't partners for peace.'
Sarwar said that "there is a plausible case for genocide that the Israeli government has to answer and one day I believe will have to answer to the ICC and the ICJ".
He added: 'But we have to urgently end the war – if we think just stopping talking to the Israeli government means that we end the war, I think that's a pretty naïve view of the situation right now."
And when asked if he felt the UK Labour Government had done enough to end the genocide, Sarwar said it had done "a lot" but added: "I think there's still more we have to look at."
Speaking to The National, Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said Labour have spent the last year "actively collaborating in this devastating genocide" and have done "nothing" to end their complicity.
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater (Image: unknown) The Scottish Greens previously urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to expel Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely from the UK, after the Israeli security cabinet approved plans to escalate the genocide in Gaza.
Slater told The National: 'If Anas Sarwar seriously thinks Labour is doing enough to end the genocide in Gaza then he clearly doesn't understand the devastating scale of death and destruction happening in Palestine.
'Weapons made in the UK are being used to destroy communities and end lives. What have Labour actually done to end their complicity? Nothing."
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Slater said that instead of "taking action to end the genocide" in Gaza, Labour have 'hyped Israel's war criminal government on the international stage, sold arms to the IDF, and dangled the future of Palestine as a bargaining chip".
"This isn't bold action to end the war, Labour and Starmer have spent the past year actively collaborating in this devastating genocide," she told The National.
Slater added: 'Urging restraint is not enough, Labour's hypocrisy must end now! It's time to end arms sales, back international sanctions and boycott war criminals.'
Meanwhile, the SNP said the Scottish Labour leader's words "mean nothing" unless Labour recognise Palestine and stop arms exports to Israel.
SNP MSP Kevin Stewart – who previously lodged a motion calling on the UK Government to recognise Palestine – told The National: 'Anas Sarwar's words are all fine and well but mean nothing unless the UK Labour Government takes immediate action by recognising Palestine as a state and stopping all UK arms sales to Israel.'
Last month, Sarwar said he backed the "immediate recognition" of the state of Palestine, ahead of the UK Government saying just days later that it planned to do so in September.
Scottish Labour declined to comment further.