The Scottish Greens are calling on First Minister John Swinney to include concrete sanctions against Israel in the upcoming Programme for Government.. MSP Patrick Harvie is demanding that the administration end public contracts with businesses involved in West Bank settlement activity.
The fight to overturn Thatcher-era procurement restrictions
The Scottish Greens are pushing for a significant shift in how Scotland handles international trade and public spending. According to the report, MSP Patrick Harvie is advocating for the repeal of a United Kingdom law dating back to the Margaret Thatcher era. This specific legislation currently prevents local authorities from making procurement decisions based on the geographical origin of the goods or services they purchase.
By removing this barrier, the Greens aim to empower local councils to actively support the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. the party is specifically advocating for several legislative changes, including:
- The termination of contracts with firms operating in West Bank settlements.
- Expanded powers for local authorities to support BDS initiatives.
- The repeal of UK-wide laws that restrict procurement based on origin.
Harvie argues that the current administration has offered only verbal commitments, and he is demanding that the upcoming Programme for Government translate these pledges into "concrete action" to end complicity in the abuse of Palestinians.
Using the Russia-Ukraine response as a legislative blueprint
Patrick Harvie has explicitly drawn a parallel between the current situation in the West Bank and the geopolitical response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. he noted that the Scottish Government previously issued formal guidance to the private sector following the start of the conflict in Ukraine, signaling that businesses have a responsibility to respond to international crises.
Harvie argues that the government has already demonstrated it possesses the capacity to act decisively when it chooses to. By citing the Ukraine precedent, the Greens are attempting to frame the refusal to act on Israel-linked contracts not as a legal impossibility, but as a lack of political will.
Targeting firms identified by UN High Commissioner Volker Turk
A central pillar of the Greens' demand involves the immediate termination of public contracts with companies operating in Israeli settlements. The party is specifically targeting firms that have been identified in reports by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights , Volker Turk. These reports link certain businesses to settlement-related activities in the occupied West Bank, which are considered unlawful under international law.
The Greens contend that the Scottish Government must ensure that public funds are not being used to profit from what they describe as apartheid and genocide. As the report states, Harvie believes that if a company is profiting from such activities, the government must use every available power to sever those financial ties.
The dispute over the scope of Scotland's devolved powers
As the Scottish Government prepares its Programme for Government, a significnt question remains regarding the actual reach of Holyrood's authority. A spokesperson for the Scottish Government stated that the administration has already taken the "most direct and effective action available" within its devolved powers to supprot the Palestinian people.
This creates a fundamental disagreement: is the government's current stance a result of legal constraints, or is it a refusal to push for more radical change? It remains unclear whether the administration will consider the Greens' demand to repeal UK-wide procurement laws, or if they will continue to maintain that their influence is limited to the diplomatic sphere. furthermore, the report does not clarify if the Scottish Greens have the necessary numbers to force this issue into the final legislative agenda.
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