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Angus Robertson had the minutes of his controversial meeting with an Israeli diplomat changed after a public backlash – because he feared his call for a Gaza ceasefire was “lost” in the original version.
The external affairs secretary faced calls to resign last August after holding talks with Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky, amid accusations that the country is committing genocide in Gaza.
Both Robertson and first minister John Swinney later claimed they agreed to the meeting to “directly” and “explicitly” express the Scottish Government’s support for an immediate ceasefire.
But correspondence released to The Ferret under freedom of information law reveals that, amid a media storm, Robertson’s team were concerned that the minutes of the meeting didn’t put across his ceasefire call strongly enough.
Opposition politicians said the finding casts “further doubt” on the nature of Robertson’s conversation with the Israeli official and have called for full transparency from the Scottish Government.
An internal email sent on 14 August – six days after the meeting and as criticism mounted – shows Robertson’s office asked for a draft of the official minutes of the meeting to be revised.
The minister feared his comments on a ceasefire and upholding Palestinian rights “rather gets lost in the middle” of the original minutes which were circulated the day after the talks, according to the email from his private secretary.
“Please could we ensure that the messages he communicated are fully brought out in the readout rather than lost in the middle of wider points?,” it continues. “He feels it is important that his statements on this [a ceasefire] come through as clearly as he communicated them”.
The Scottish Government must come clean.
Mercedes Villalba MSP, Scottish Labour
The civil servant who took the minutes replied the following day to say they had “revisited” their notes and amended the minutes. A finalised version – which has been partially released to the public — mentions the ceasefire prominently.
Scottish Labour MSP, Mercedes Villalba, said the revelation cast “further doubt as to the nature of Robertson’s conversation” with Grudsky.
“How ‘clearly and explicitly’ can the Cabinet Secretary have expressed the need for a ceasefire if the official record had to be retrofitted to reflect it?”, Villalba asked.
“The Scottish Government must come clean.”
The furore over the meeting was sparked by a tweet from Daniela Grudsky on 12 August, which included a photo of her and Robertson smiling together at Bute House.
She said the talks had focused on the “unique commonalities” between Israel and Scotland and the pair discussed future cooperation on “technology, culture and renewable energy”.
This caused fears from some within the SNP that the meeting represented a normalising of relations with Israel and would “lend legitimacy” to Benjamin Netanyahu, a claim the Scottish Government denied.
After a nine month freedom of information (FOI) battle by The Ferret, including appeals to the Scottish Information Commissioner, the Scottish Government released a partial version of the meeting minutes – but only the version amended following Robertson’s request.
Revised minutes released primarily cover discussion on Israel and Palestine, and show Robertson controversially referred to Scotland and Israel as “critical friends”.
But details of their discussions on other issues – including renewables, culture and technology – remained redacted.
The Scottish Government said it was keeping the information secret because of concerns about the UK’s national security and fears providing the information could prevent the free exchange of views between officials.
It has also refused to release any draft minutes of the meeting. The email exchange showing Robertson’s request to revise the record was disclosed only after we requested an internal review of the way the FoI request had been handled.
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie argued Robertson should never have met with Grudsky in the first place. “Ministers should not be meeting with a state carrying out genocide, let alone welcoming them as any kind of friends,” Harvie told The Ferret.
He said that if ministers want to end “speculation” around what was discussed at the meeting, “then it’s time for them to publish the minutes in full, including the draft”. “There’s already been too much game playing and too many PR considerations,” Harvie added.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said its “consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was made clear during the meeting”.
They added: “There has been no further ministerial engagement with the Government of Israel since. Ministers have complied fully with the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) on this matter.”
The Scottish Government added that it is routine for draft minutes of ministerial meetings to be shared with ministers’ private offices to ensure they accurately reflect what was discussed.
Main image: Scottish Government
A former Scotland leader of Nigel Farage’s previous party has been under scrutiny over pro-Russian statements since an explosive court case. The Ferret analysed what David Coburn said about Russia – and Ukraine – throughout his political career.
Mohammed was 17 years old when he was shot by an Israeli sniper in Bethlehem. Two years on, his family say there is no accountability for his death. Their story is one of dozens from across the West Bank, it is claimed, with human rights organisations calling for child rights to be upheld.
Reform UK's Malcolm Offord claimed one million people came to the UK in the 20th century, and seven million people have come to the UK since 2000. This is not accurate.
Airbnb’s business practices in the West Bank have long been in the spotlight, prompting criticism from human rights campaigners. We can now reveal that the firm has lobbied the Scottish Government 52 times since 2018.
