Scotland raises the Palestinian flag at the Cabinet Office and calls for sanctions against the occupation.

The Scottish government raised the Palestinian flag over its official building in Edinburgh on Thursday, ahead of a speech by Prime Minister John Swinney, during which he called on the London government to take practical steps against the Israeli occupation, including imposing sanctions and halting military and trade cooperation with it, due to what he described as "the ongoing genocide in Gaza."

Swinney stated that the continuation of military cooperation between Britain and the Israeli occupation amid the war on Gaza represents "a blatant violation of international law," urging the British government to join the lawsuit filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice against "Tel Aviv."

The Scottish Prime Minister added that his government has repeatedly urged London to recognize the Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, considering it "an inherent right of the Palestinian people, not a grant from the major powers." He also called for sanctions against Israeli officials involved in violations in Gaza, a ban on importing products from settlements in the West Bank, in addition to withdrawing from the free trade agreement with Tel Aviv.

Swinney emphasized that the situation in Gaza represents "a man-made humanitarian disaster," pointing to documented evidence of the commission of genocide, and stressing the necessity for Britain to comply with the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli officials.

The Scottish Prime Minister urged the London government to follow Ireland's lead in banning settlement goods, deeming these measures "necessary to protect international law and stop violations against the Palestinian people."

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation, with American support, has been conducting a genocide and forced displacement against the Gaza Strip, which has included killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, and detention, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to cease.

The aggression has resulted in over 224,000 Palestinians being killed or injured, most of whom are women and children, along with more than 11,000 missing, while hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in famine conditions that have claimed many lives, especially children, amid widespread destruction affecting most cities and areas of the strip.