Meeting of the Parliament

Time for Reflection Dame Evelyn Glennie followed by Topical Questions followed by Ministerial Statement: Autumn Statement: Scottish Government Priorities followed by Scottish Government Debate: The Situation in the Middle East Humza Yousaf S6M-11342 That the Parliament unequivocally condemns in the strongest possible terms Hamas’s barbaric and unjustifiable terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens on 7 October 2023, and demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; agrees that all human life is equal, abhors the loss of innocent lives, and affirms the right of all Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security; further agrees that the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, including women and children who have been besieged by Israeli forces, must stop; associates itself with the United Nations Secretary-General’s statements that there must be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow civilians to escape harm, for hostages to be released, for humanitarian aid to reach those in need, and affirming that international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, must be upheld; reiterates its solidarity with Scotland’s Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian communities and condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other form of hatred; welcomes the Scottish Government’s contribution of £750,000 towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s flash appeal for Gaza, and the humanitarian assistance announced by the UK Government; reaffirms that a credible, lasting and sustainable peace can only be based on the two-state solution through reinvigorated diplomatic and political efforts in the Middle East Peace Process, and agrees with many in the international community that all parties must agree to an immediate ceasefire. Donald Cameron S6M-11342.2 As an amendment to motion S6M-11342 in the name of Humza Yousaf (The Situation in the Middle East), leave out from “further agrees” to end and insert “believes in Israel’s right to defend itself against terror; supports calls for humanitarian pauses to deliver aid to Gaza safely and in a sustained way; welcomes the UK Government’s increased aid contribution of £30 million to Gaza as well as the Scottish Government’s aid contribution of £750,000; reiterates its solidarity with Scotland’s Jewish, Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian communities and condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other form of hatred, and reaffirms that a credible, lasting and sustainable peace can only be based on the two-state solution through reinvigorated diplomatic and political efforts in the Middle East Peace Process.” Anas Sarwar S6M-11342.1 As an amendment to motion S6M-11342 in the name of Humza Yousaf (The Situation in the Middle East), insert at end “; recognises that, in order for any ceasefire to work, it requires all sides to comply; is horrified by the Hamas statement that it would repeat the 7 October attacks and continue rocket fire; regrets that Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he will not even consider a ceasefire; calls, therefore, on the international community to use every form of diplomacy to try and create the conditions on the ground to make a ceasefire a reality; further calls on the International Criminal Court to investigate the conduct of all parties in this conflict, and reaffirms the commitment to a lasting peace and a two-state solution with the end of illegal occupation, siege and settlements.” Alex Cole-Hamilton S6M-11342.3 As an amendment to motion S6M-11342 in the name of Humza Yousaf (The Situation in the Middle East), insert at end “; believes that Hamas cannot be allowed to continue in charge of Gaza; further believes that it is increasingly clear that there will be no military solution that eliminates Hamas and that movement towards a political solution is needed, and urges the UK Government to lead calls for an immediate bilateral ceasefire to provide space to facilitate the delivery of aid, facilitate the release of hostages and commence intensive diplomacy in pursuit of a political solution, with Hamas removed from Gaza, two states and lasting peace.” followed by Decision Time followed by Members' Business — S6M-11228 Colin Beattie: Holodomor Memorial Day 2023 That the Parliament recognises that 25 November 2023 is the annual Holodomor Memorial Day; notes that 2022-23 marks the 90th anniversary of Holodomor; considers that Holodomor, literally meaning extermination by hunger, was a man-made and deliberate campaign of starvation and violence carried out by the Soviet regime that resulted in the death of millions of people in Ukraine; believes that Holodomor was caused by a deliberate policy of the Soviet regime, as a mass murder against the people of Ukraine; recognises that Holodomor Memorial Day commemorates all the victims of the Holodomor, and expresses its solidarity with the people in Ukraine who suffered in this tragedy, and in particular with the remaining survivors of the Holodomor and their families; pays its respects to those who died as a consequence of what are considered to be these crimes committed by the totalitarian Soviet regime; expresses deep concern that the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor coincides with Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, which, it believes, involves a blatant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, coupled with what it sees as the aim to eradicate Ukraine as a nation-state and erode the identity and culture of its people; is aware of the longstanding relationship between Ukraine and Scotland, including the installation in 2017 of the Eternal Memory memorial stone on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, which was dedicated by the Ukrainian community in Scotland to commemorate the genocide by forced famine in Ukraine in 1932-33, and welcomes the formation of the Cross-Party Group on Ukraine within the Scottish Parliament, where Ukrainian interest groups in Scotland and elected officials come together to foster and strengthen the enduring relationship between Ukraine and Scotland.