Former UK Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who served as the MP for Edinburgh Pentlands from 1974 to 1997, has criticized the Scottish National Party (SNP) for what he calls “pure posturing” regarding the Israel-Hamas war, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. This comes after the Scottish Government declared it would no longer meet with Israeli diplomats.
First Minister (that’s Scottish for Prime Minister – DI) John Swinney announced that due to Israel’s actions, the Scottish Government would cease all dialogue with Israeli officials. However, SNP ministers will continue to engage with PA Arab representatives.
Scotland’s external affairs secretary, Angus Robertson, recently faced pressure from his party to apologize for meeting with a high-ranking Israeli diplomat. In a related development, Lord Cameron addressed then-First Minister Humza Yousaf, claiming he had breached an agreement to include a UK representative in direct discussions with foreign leaders. This came after Yousaf held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding the situation in Gaza.
These events have fueled ongoing criticism of the Scottish Government for allegedly overstepping its authority in international affairs.
Sir Malcolm, who held the position of foreign secretary during John Major’s premiership, dismissed the SNP’s stance, arguing that their decision amounts to “pure posturing” since the party bears “no responsibility for foreign policy,” which remains under the purview of the UK government.
Labour has won 411 seats in the UK’s 650-member Parliament on July 4, and is ruling without coalition partners (326 seats are needed for a majority).
JEWISH BALFOUR FOR PALESTINE
Rifkind was born in Edinburgh to a Jewish family that emigrated to Britain in the 1890s from Lithuania. He was educated at George Watson’s College and the University of Edinburgh where he studied law before taking a postgraduate degree in political science. In university, he took part in an overland expedition to the Middle East and India.
Rifkind made history by committing the British Government to support a Palestinian State in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. He also advocated for a Middle Eastern version of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to facilitate regional dialogue between Israel, its Arab neighbors, and Iran.
During the latter part of John Major’s government, Malcolm Rifkind served as Foreign Secretary. His tenure began with chairing the London Summit on Bosnia, which intensified pressure on Bosnian Serbs following the Srebrenica massacre, ultimately contributing to the Dayton Accord that ended the conflict.
At the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 1996, Rifkind proposed a UN Declaration to prevent terrorists from claiming political asylum under the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees. In the same address, he emphasized Britain’s commitment to global free trade by 2020 and urged all governments to liberalize their economies and reduce trade barriers.
A significant part of Rifkind’s role involved final negotiations with China over Hong Kong’s transfer. He met with the Chinese Foreign Minister in both Beijing and London, as well as with Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten and local elected officials. But in early 2015, Rifkind had discussions with what he thought were representatives of a Chinese company that wanted to set up an advisory council. They turned out to be journalists for The Daily Telegraph and Channel 4 News who recorded the conversations. As a result, the Conservative party whip was suspended from Rifkind while the matter was investigated.
On February 24, 2015, Rifkind stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee while remaining on the Committee. Shortly thereafter, he announced that he would not stand as a candidate for his constituency of Kensington at the 2015 general election. The former foreign secretary said it was “quite obvious” that allegations made following an undercover sting had “become an issue.”
