Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, has accused newspapers of furthering an “Islamophobic attack” against him, following accusations of a conflict of interest. The Daily Telegraph reported that £250,000 was donated by the Scottish government to the UNRWA aid agency. This money was sent during a time when Mr Yousaf’s parents-in-law were unable to leave the Gaza Strip. The story has led to accusations of him overriding official recommendations. Stephen Kerr of Holyrood’s standards committee claimed the first minister “may very well have broken the Scottish ministerial code”.
Mr Yousaf insists that the accusations made by the newspapers are false, claiming that he has campaigned “against terrorism” throughout his entire political career. On social media, he stated that the story was part of a “far-right” and “outrageous smear”. He claimed “most of my political life, I’ve battled insinuations from sections of the media” in attempts to link him to terrorism.
The Scottish government’s contribution to the UNRWA was allocated during a flash appeal for emergency aid. Over a million Palestinians faced displacement while conflict escalated. Mr Yousaf’s parents-in-law subsequently left on 3 November 2023. It is claimed that the aid donation went against official advice to support Unicef, that the money should have been for water programs.
Several countries have announced a pause in contributions to the relief agency because of the concerns over the actions of their staff. Mr Yousaf said that virtually every government in the West had given money to Gaza because of the humanitarian catastrophe which had unfolded there. Israel’s military initiated an air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’s attacks on Israel in October 2023. There were 1,200 people killed during the campaign, with 253 being taken hostage. According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, more than 30,800 people have been killed in Gaza since then, prompting the UN to warn of an imminent famine.
Mr Yousaf has denied the allegations made against him of aiding UNRWA despite official advice, stating that he was only helping humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza. He claims that the accusations are part of an ongoing attack against him by the media.
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