Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf has described accusations that he could have had a battle of curiosity in sending funding to Gaza as an “outrageous smear” and “far proper conspiracy”.
The Scottish authorities donated £250,000 to the UNRWA help company in November 2023, similtaneously Mr Yousaf’s parents-in-law had been amongst tens of millions unable to depart the enclave.
The Each day Telegraph reported on Saturday that Mr Yousaf was being accused of overriding officers’ suggestions to provide Unicef, a special UN company, between £100,000 and £200,000.
In a collection of posts on social media platform X, previously referred to as Twitter, Mr Yousaf mentioned the story was an “Islamophobic assault” and an try and hyperlink him to terrorism.
He mentioned: “Most of my political life, I’ve battled insinuations from sections of the media determined to hyperlink me to terrorism regardless of campaigning my entire life in opposition to it.
“The most recent smear from the Telegraph is only a continuation of those Islamaphobic assaults.”
The primary minister added: “Attributable to my religion & race, there’ll at all times be these, notably on the far-right, who will desperately attempt to “show” my loyalties lie elsewhere. That I’m a fifth columnist in the one nation I name dwelling, the nation I really like and the nation I’ve the privilege of main.
“For the Telegraph to provide oxygen to those smears is miserable.”
The Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr, who sits on Holyrood’s requirements committee, had earlier claimed that the primary minister “could very nicely have damaged the (Scottish ministerial) code”.
The Scottish authorities mentioned the cash was allotted to United Nations Aid and Works Company for Palestine Refugees within the Close to East in response to a flash enchantment for emergency help as greater than 1,000,000 Palestinians in Gaza confronted displacement amid the escalating battle.
Mr Yousaf’s parents-in-law left the area on 3 November 2023.
The Telegraph story claimed Mr Yousaf advised officers that, since he was about to satisfy senior UNRWA delegates in Edinburgh, “we should always simply announce an additional £250k to them”.
It’s claimed that went in opposition to their proposed recommendation that the cash ought to go to Unicef for water programmes.
The Scottish authorities acknowledged that the choice had been taken following recommendation from officers.
Mr Yousaf mentioned: “To be clear, the Scottish authorities gave cash to Gaza, like just about each authorities within the West, due to the unarguable humanitarian disaster that has unfolded there.”
UNRWA has since been on the centre of controversy surrounding Israeli accusations that members of its workers had been concerned within the 7 October assaults by Hamas that triggered the preventing.
A number of international locations, together with the UK, have introduced a pause in assist for the aid company whereas an investigation takes place after the allegations emerged in January.
Nevertheless, these accusations solely turned identified a number of weeks after the Scottish authorities funding announcement had been made.
Stephen Kerr had claimed to the Telegraph that the funding choice recommended the primary minister was “ready to bend the principles”.
He additionally mentioned there was a “clear battle of curiosity” in help cash being supplied to UNRWA.
Israel’s navy launched an air and floor marketing campaign within the Gaza Strip after Hamas’s assaults on Israel on 7 October, through which about 1,200 folks had been killed and 253 others had been taken hostage.
Greater than 30,800 folks have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run well being ministry says.
The battle has created a rising humanitarian disaster, and the UN has warned that famine in Gaza is “nearly inevitable”.
