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last mo.

Scotland Freezes Support for Israel-Linked Arms Firms as SNP Lifts Munitions Funding Ban Under Safeguards

Agencies are told to withhold new aid unless firms can prove their equipment is not used by states credibly accused of genocide.

The nuclear-powered submarine HMS Artful at Faslane naval base. A welding centre for submarines on the Clyde had been deemed ineligible for government support
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The Palestinian flag flies in front of St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh
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Overview

  • First Minister John Swinney said Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide and announced a pause on new public money to companies supplying countries with plausible evidence of genocide, naming Israel.
  • The government reversed its long-standing prohibition on public backing for munitions, allowing support for defence projects only if companies demonstrate their products are not used militarily by Israel or similar states.
  • Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish National Investment Bank were instructed to offer no new financial support or trade facilitation to non‑compliant firms, with existing apprenticeship commitments being honoured.
  • MSPs passed a symbolic motion to recognise a Palestinian state by 65 votes to 24 with 26 abstentions, as the Palestinian flag was raised over Scottish Government buildings.
  • Humanitarian steps include bringing up to 20 injured children from Gaza for treatment, £400,000 for a deployable hospital and additional funding via the UN, while UK officials and industry raised concerns and the Jewish Council of Scotland warned of community safety impacts.