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By Robert Leslie. “My friends, this is Scotland. This is a nation of lions, roaring lions, a people of conscience and a moral force for good. It is that, it is that why we love Scotland.” – Dr Husam Zomlot. This came just weeks after First Minister John Swinney had been present for the raising of the Palestinian flag outside the soon-to-be Palestinian Embassy in London. First Minister John Swinney introduced Dr Zomlot as ‘his excellency, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and my friend’. Dr Zomlot received a rapturous welcome from the audience in Aberdeen. “What a vibe!” he exclaimed as the hall settled down. Dr Zomlot said it was an honour to address the SNP conference ‘at such a defining moment in our shared history’. “First Minister John Swinney, under your leadership the SNP has stood firm in defending our shared values – the values of justice, equality and freedom. You were among the very first to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. You were among the first to demand sanctions on the illegalities, and you were among the very first to call for and uphold our inalienable right to statehood and self-determination,” he said. Dr Zomlot also appreciated how John Swinney had been by his side when he marked the historic and long-overdue recognition by the UK of the State of Palestine by raising the Palestinian flag in London on Monday 22nd September. He acknowledged that the First Minister had also used his brief time with President Trump to plead for a ceasefire. “You and Scotland are something to do with the last few days of finally, finally, the world coming to its senses and bringing Netanyahu – the unhinged Netanyahu – to compliance. Thank you. “Ladies and Gentlemen, three weeks ago the United Kingdom recognised the State of Palestine, reversing more than a century of denial of our right to exist as a free and sovereign nation, with the same right to self-determination as any other people. Following this long overdue recognition, I stand before you today as Ambassador of the State of Palestine.” He thanked the audience ‘from the bottom of my heart’ for their support. “The Palestinian people will never forget how the people of Scotland stood by our side when it mattered the most. For generations the Scottish and Palestinian peoples have been bound by deep, deep ties – ties of friendship, of solidarity and shared humanity.” He recalled that Scotland was first to establish a city twinning – between Dundee and Nablus – an enduring symbol of equality and mutual respect that inspired others across the UK. The friendship between Scotland and Palestine was not just political, he said, but moral, human and historic. “When the genocide raged in Gaza, you raised your voices to carry our pain. You brought our students to study here, our wounded to heal here. And you reminded us again and again that we were never alone, that our struggle was also yours. And that [is] the struggle for freedom, that all people and all nations cherish. My friends, this is Scotland. This is a nation of lions, roaring lions, a people of conscience and a moral force for good. It is that, it is that why we love Scotland.” But he said that as a ceasefire looked imminent, and an end to the genocide and the ongoing campaign of erasure in the occupied West Bank, ‘we must take a moment to breathe, to grieve, and to process our immense sense of loss’. “And in that spirit my friends, I humbly ask you, in honour of Hind Rajab and the 20,000 Palestinian children murdered by Israel, in honour of Dr Adnan al-Bursh, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed in Israeli detention, along with hundreds of our Palestinian doctors and medical staff, and in honour of Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif, and the hundreds of Palestinian journalists who were targeted and murdered, and in honour of the almost quarter of a million Palestinians killed or maimed, I ask you to join me in a moment of silence.” Dr Zomlot spoke of how Israel had banned international media from covering its genocide in Gaza. “But it failed to conduct this genocide in darkness because of the heroism of our journalists and our people, who documented and reported the atrocities. From here, from Aberdeen, from Scotland, I call on the UK and international media to defy the ban. Go to Gaza and honour your profession by reporting the truth.” This was a call that brought loud applause in the hall, recognising that the truth had often been difficult to find in mainstream reporting in the past two years. “My friends, now is the time to reflect on what we have achieved together and to prepare for the next phase of our common struggle. Because, my friends, while we have won some battles our mission is far from over. We helped stop the bombs…the starvation, the destruction of Gaza. Now, together we must fight for liberation, we must fight for the end of Israel’s occupation, and there is no more powerful place to lead this global movement for Palestine than right here in Scotland and in the United Kingdom. “It has been the Scottish and the British people – students and academics, trade unions and parliamentarians – who have fuelled the global movement for Palestine, just as you did in the struggle against apartheid South Africa.” The UK, said Dr Zomlot, had been the epicentre of the anti-apartheid movement like for Palestine now. “Like Nelson Mandela was freed, like South Africa was freed, Palestine will be freed. Because it is there, in the streets of London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, in Wembley Arena and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, in the halls of Westminster and Holyrood, from Cardiff to Belfast, that the world has heard your voices, seen your actions and followed your lead. You see what is happening worldwide.” Some, he said, might ask, but the genocide has ended, the guns are silent, isn’t the work done? “No my friends, it is not, because our struggle has never been only about stopping the bombs, it is about ensuring the genocide never ever happens again. It is about ending the occupation, it is about freedom, it is about the future of our children and yours. It is about peace – a just peace. So, my friends, the UK’s historic recognition of the State of Palestine is not the destination, it is only the beginning. We must now build upon it strategically, relentlessly to establish an independent sovereign State of Palestine that can protect its people and thrive in peace. “The world’s conscience is awakening, the tide is shifting. Now is the moment to act, to raise the cost of occupation until it becomes not only unsustainable but untenable.” I found myself on my feet applauding enthusiastically, along with the majority in the hall as Dr Zomlot stated how this would be done. “How do we do this? How do we do this? By imposing comprehensive sanctions on the entire system of illegal colonial settlements and the state that harbours them!” He said this should be coupled with ‘a full arms embargo on a state that is committing genocide’. “By ending the illegal trade and investments, by banning settlement products, by isolating companies and individuals who profit from the illegalities, profit from the occupation, profit from the theft of our land and our resources. Those must be held accountable. “And my friends, this is not the time to invest in war, this is the time to invest in peace.” Dr Zomlot said that sanctions were not a punishment, but a path to justice, and without them, apartheid South Africa would never have crumbled and racism and segregation would still exist there. “Because injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. Because as Nelson Mandela himself said, the freedom of South Africa is incomplete without the freedom of Palestine.” He said that looking to the future the guiding principles were clear. “Gaza and the West Bank are inseparable parts of one Palestine, with its ancient and eternal capital of Jerusalem. And let me make this absolutely clear, Palestine will only ever be governed by Palestinians. And only the Palestinian people will elect their leaders. This is why we have committed to holding national elections within one year of the end of the genocide. “Ladies and gentlemen, this struggle is not only about the liberation of Palestine, it is about our collective liberation – from oppression, from deception, from destruction everywhere, from dishonesty, from supremacy, from thinking that there is only one creed, one colour that have more rights than others. There is no one group that is chosen, we are all chosen. “Our struggle, your struggle, is about affirming the sanctity of every human life, and the life of our children is as precious as the life of any other.” This had been an emotionally-charged speech and Dr Zomlot’s closing remarks brought yet another standing ovation and loud cheering. “And as long as we stand united in truth and in justice I know that we will prevail. We will prevail, like all previous nations like ours, with righteous causes, have prevailed. It’s been a long, long march to freedom, but we are definitely on our way. We will see the roots of freedom flourish, not only in Palestine, but in every nation and in every heart that longs to be free. And we will celebrate together. We will celebrate soon – sooner than you expect – we will celebrate a free, free Palestine.” Robert Leslie is the SNP candidate for the Orkney Constituency at the Scottish Parliament elections in 2026.
