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Scottish External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf seems to be talking about the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians almost as much as Scottish issues, and is putting his position to use to expound on, ad nauseaum, precisely this issue. There is a law being passed that would prevent contractors from working with Israeli companies and using Israeli products, with severe penalties imposed for non-compliance.
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This law, the Procurement Reform Scotland Act (2014), was intended to provide “public procurement and systems which are transparent, streamlined, standardised, fair and business-friendly.” The aim of the law was to allow small and medium businesses to have an equal share of government contracts, often granted to larger companies, but Minister Yousaf seems intent on politicizing and therefore, complicating the process for the very businesses the bill was aimed to help.
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Yousaf has been known for his politically-charged anti-Israel statements in the past. He considered any Scottish businesses dealing with “companies in the settlements” as guilty of “grave professional misconduct.” Yousaf goes beyond the present Scottish policy concerning Israel, which allows for export of defensive products, including parts for the Iron Dome, to a complete ban on any military equipment to Israel.
Not surprisingly, Yousaf has worked with a charity called Islamic Relief, which is not merely concerned with improving the economic and social situation of Muslims around the globe, but has stated a primary aim as “the eradication of Israel.” I suppose it matters little to Yousaf or not if imports or exports are to or from “illegal settlements.” If he supports groups that deny the right to Israel to exist, then he must consider the entire country an illegal settlement.
