After two years of war, both Hamas and the Israeli government have agreed to a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump. The pact will see the remaining hostages released by Hamas and the bombing of Gaza to stop. British politicians of all stripes have lauded the deal, while Trump has been praised for his part in the negotiations. But one former first minister has been more than a little begrudging in his praise for the President’s coup.
Ex-SNP first minister Humza Yousaf, whose wife had family living in Gaza, was quizzed today on BBC Radio Scotland about whether he accepted that Trump was helping bring about peace. In a rather scathing reply, Yousaf fumed:
I find this question really difficult because of the role the US administration has played in funding, arming and giving impunity to the very administration and government that has committed a genocide against Palestinian people. It is akin to … there’s an individual who provides matches and petrol to the arsonist and then asks for praise when he puts out the fire.
Shots fired!
Yousaf backtracked only slightly when he added:
I’m not negating the fact that Donald Trump has played an important role; I think credit should also be given to the state of Qatar, who were just a few weeks ago bombed by one of the parties in this conflict – but they still held steadfast to the belief and tried to bring people together.
Scotland’s current First Minister John Swinney packed less punches in his statement this morning, in which he welcomed the news and called for a two state solution. ‘I dearly hope that this is the first step towards that outcome,’ he said. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has insisted that Britain ‘stands ready to play our part’ in the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the agreement as a moment of ‘profound relief’.
The remarks follow an announcement by Trump on his social media site Truth Social, where he announced: ‘I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan.’ Yousaf may not think the US President deserves praise for his role in the ceasefire deal – but then again, the ex-FM is hardly renowned for his good judgement…
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