SNP expel MSP who refused to agree Israel was committing genocide in Gaza

Scottish National Party expels Member of Scottish Parliament John Mason for not agreeing that Israeli actions in Gaza constitute genocide, according to statements on Sunday.

He took to X/Twitter to voice his disappointment with the move and his belief that the party should tolerate a variety of opinions so long as they support Scottish independence. He has 21 days to appeal the decision, during which time the SNP is unable to  confirm his expulsion.

Mason had been suspended from the party in August over comments he made in reaction to claims that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Mason said, "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many."

His comments were in response to former SNP MSP Sandra White saying, "We know what Israelis hope to achieve, they are already committing genocide in Gaza."

After having his whip removed, he told the BBC that the war in Gaza was "nothing like" previous examples of genocide.

His comments were widely criticized by high-ranking members of the party, including former SNP Westminister leader Ian Blackford, who said, "You are not fit for public office. You are an embarrassment and not fit to represent anyone."

At the time of his suspension, the SNP said, "To flippantly dismiss the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable. There can be no room in the SNP for this kind of intolerance."

The SNP and Israel

The SNP, since October 7, has consistently sided against Israel, with several incidents showing a generally hostile attitude of its membership toward Israel.

At the beginning of the war, Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader at the time, announced Scotland was willing to absorb  Palestinian refugees.

Yousef also donated £250,000 of Scottish taxpayer money to the United Nations Refugee and Works Agency (UNRWA) after October 7.

Yousef overruled officials to give the donation to UNRWA instead of UNICEF, this was despite numerous UNRWA workers having been involved in October 7.

The donation would eventually lead to a government probe as not only did he overrule officials, but he also exceeded the recommended donation limit. All of this while his Palestinian in-laws were still stuck in the Gaza Strip.

Yousef resigned as leader following an unrelated political crisis in April 2024.

SNP External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson met with Deputy Israeli Ambassador Daniela Grudsky in August, leading to a massive internal party backlash in which he was accused of bringing the party into disrepute. 

Robertson was accused of lending legitimacy to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; he was also called a liability.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney defended the meeting as necessary to "outline our long-standing position on an immediate ceasefire directly, and explicitly, to one of Israel's representatives in the UK."