Scottish parliament demands cease-fire in Gaza Strip

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The Scottish parliament, or the Holyrood, overwhelmingly voted Tuesday in favor of a motion that demands a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

MSPs (Member of Scottish Parliament) backed the government’s motion for a cease-fire and the release of hostages held by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

A total of 90 lawmakers voted in favor of the motion with 28 against.

First Minister Humza Yousaf reiterated his condemnation of Hamas’s attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, during the debate, but he criticized Israeli attacks in response against the besieged enclave.

"Israel has a right, like any other country in the world, to protect its citizens from terror. However, no country, Israel included, has a right to ignore international humanitarian law," he said. "That is why this government has repeatedly called for an end to the 16-year blockade and siege of Gaza.”

Labour leader Anas Sarwar backed the cease-fire motion and said it was "vital that we see a cessation of all violence" in the region, but that "all sides must be willing to comply."

Scottish Conservatives were the only side in the Holyrood not to back a cease-fire.

- Calls to recognize state of Palestine

Yousaf wrote a letter to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer that urged the government to formally recognize the state of Palestine.

"It is essential and urgent that the UK makes clear to the Israeli Government, and to the world, that in line with support for a two state solution, only Palestinians can have authority in Gaza," he wrote.

He said the UK needs to work with the international community to break the "political impasse" that has condemned Israelis and the Palestinians to successive cycles of violence.

"This would be assisted were the UK to recognise the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, as over 130 members of the United Nations, including nine members of the European Union, have done and as the new Spanish Government has pledged," said Yousaf.

The first minister stressed that recognition would offer hope to Palestinians that a just and durable political solution is possible.

He also expressed "deep concern" about the latest warnings from Israel to Palestinians living and sheltering in Khan Younis -- a city in the southern Gaza Strip -- to vacate the area.

- Protest at Holyrood

Meanwhile, a group gathered outside of the parliament building when the vote on a cease-fire was taking place

Carrying signs that read: "Stop the killing", "Boycott to Israel", and "Genocide in Gaza," the crowd chanted pro-Palestine slogans.

Protesters unfurled a long partial list of names of those killed in the besieged enclave outside the parliament building.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas early last month,

Authorities in Gaza said Monday that the death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 has jumped to more than 14,100, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.