Cole-Hamilton responds to Gaza and Israel statement

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament in response to the First Minister’s statement on Gaza and Israel, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Above politics, love for family transcends everything; it unites us all. Today, this chamber stands united in our concern for the First Minister’s family, as it does for everyone worried about loved ones in Gaza and in Israel.

“What happened on 7th October was an atrocity. Hamas are terrorists who degraded, kidnapped and murdered hundreds upon hundreds of Israelis. Women and children. 

“What’s happened since to the innocent civilians of Gaza, who Hamas hide behind, is fast becoming a humanitarian catastrophe that has shocked the world.

“Both peoples have a right to live free from fear. So, I echo the First Minister’s comments on the need for a ceasefire and the introduction of a humanitarian corridor.  

“Does the First Minister share my view that you can fervently believe in Israel’s right to defend itself within the bounds of international law, and at the same time support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in a country of their own? And that while the road to peace may seem so vanishingly far away right now, it is a road that we can and must re-join?”