An MSP has been expelled from the SNP over comments about the Israel-Hamas conflict that his party described as “utterly abhorrent”.
Glasgow Shettleston MSP John Mason attracted fury from members of his own party in August when he posted on social media: “If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many.”
He was reacting to former SNP MSP Sandra White, who had said: “We know what Israelis hope to achieve they are already committing genocide in Gaza,” adding that “innocent children are being massacred”.
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Former party leader Ian Blackford was among those who criticised the comments, saying: “You are not fit for public office. You are an embarrassment and not fit to represent anyone.”
In a post on X on Sunday Mr Mason revealed he had been expelled by the party over his comments.
He said in the post: “Very disappointed to be expelled from @theSNP over my comments on Israel, Gaza, and whether or not there has been genocide.
“I continue to believe that we should be able to tolerate a variety of views within the party as long as we are all committed to Scottish independence.”
After the decision to remove the whip in August, a party spokesperson 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“The chief whip has today withdrawn the whip from John Mason MSP with immediate effect, pending internal parliamentary group due process.
“The SNP group will now meet to discuss the matter, with a recommendation that the whip be suspended from John Mason for a fixed period of time because of this utterly abhorrent comment.”
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The veteran MSP stood by his comments after the decision to remove the whip, saying in a radio interview: “I completely stand by the tweet.”
He also wrote in a Facebook post that his “primary desire in relation to Israel and Gaza is that there should be peace talks, negotiations, and eventually peace”.
He added: “Too many lives have already been lost in Israel, Gaza, and beyond and, as I said when I spoke in Parliament, many people feel that Israel has moved from a position of self-defence to seeking revenge.
“However, I personally do not believe that Israel has tried to commit, has committed, or is committing genocide.
“They certainly have the ability to kill many more Palestinians than they have done. That is not to say that the loss of life already is not too many.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “As the disciplinary process includes the right to appeal, the issue remains live and we cannot comment prior to its conclusion.”