North East Greens MSP Maggie Chapman is facing calls to be sacked from a Holyrood human rights committee after sparking fury with her response to deadly attacks in Israel.
Ms Chapman blamed Israel’s “illegal occupation” of Palestine for massacres carried out by militant group Hamas on Saturday.
As she found herself at the centre of a backlash, Scottish Tories renewed demands for the SNP to ditch its power-sharing deal with the Greens.
Hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed and hostages were taken on the streets in an unprecedented escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
Israel’s government declared a full-scale war against Hamas and has since retaliated with bombardments of the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, ordered a “complete siege” cutting electricity, food and fuel to territory full of civilians.
Political leaders across Britain widely condemned the attacks by Hamas – which is designated a terror group by the UK Government – and restated support for Israel.
However, reacting to the Hamas attacks, Ms Chapman said: “What’s happening in Palestine is a consequence of apartheid, of illegal occupation, and of imperial aggression by the Israel state.
“Palestinian civilians have seen their homes destroyed, their water stolen and their land appropriated illegally.”
What’s happening in #Palestine is a consequence of #Apartheid, of illegal occupation,m & of imperial aggression by the Israel state. Palestinian civilians have seen their homes destroyed, their water stolen & their land appropriated illegally.#GazaUnderAttack#VivaPalestine https://t.co/JHdFrZ3Y2l
— Maggie Chapman MSP (@MaggieChapman) October 8, 2023
Her post on social media had been viewed by almost three million people by noon on Monday.
The North East MSP, whose region stretches from Dundee to Fraserburgh, later insisted it must be understood why Hamas had carried out the attacks.
She said: “We’ll never have peace in Israel or Palestine if we don’t recognise why those who’ve been subjected to blockade, occupation and worse retaliate.”
Her party colleague Ross Greer also insisted Palestinians had a right to defend themselves, “including by attacking their occupiers”.
But he added that Hamas had “no right to massacre civilians”, branding the deadly attacks on Israeli soil a “war crime”.
Following the backlash against his party, Mr Greer said: “Palestinians have the right under international law to resist the Israeli occupation by force, but Hamas fighters murdering young people at a music festival and kidnapping wheelchair-bound pensioners is no act of resistance.
“Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine must be recognised as the root cause of these cycles of violence and both Hamas and the Israeli Government held to account for the war crimes they have committed.”
Furious Tory MSPs led the charge against the Greens following Ms Chapman’s comments, calling the Bute House Agreement into question.
The power-sharing deal, which gives the Greens two ministerial posts, has been under strain this year.
North East Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden said: “I really hope Humza Yousaf now understands the despicable party he shares power with.
“Disgusting tweet from an elected member.”
Senior Tory minister Michael Gove also criticised Ms Chapman’s remarks.
Former Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said Ms Chapman’s position on the equalities, human rights and civil justice committee was now “untenable”.
First Minister Humza Yousaf condemned the attacks carried out by Hamas, and said it was “horrific” to see the scale of devastation.
He insisted it was “crass” to reduce the conflict between Israel and Palestine to a debate around his party’s deal with the Greens.
Mr Yousaf said: “Maggie Chapman is responsible for what Maggie Chapman says.
“To somehow equate what is happening in the geopolitical situation between Israel and Palestine, to reduce it to an issue about the Bute House Agreement should go on, is terribly crass.”
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