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The potential to bring “Israel’s world-leading technology” into NHS Scotland was discussed at Angus Robertson’s controversial meeting with an Israeli diplomat, documents released to The Ferret reveal.
The issue was raised during the meeting between Robertson, then the Scottish Government’s external affairs secretary, and Israeli deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky in August 2024.
The details have emerged after a near two-year freedom of information battle by The Ferret. Ministers had tried to keep sections of the official minutes of the meeting secret, including by arguing that publishing them would hurt UK relations with Israel.
But at the end of April, the Scottish Information Commissioner ordered them to be released and they were published yesterday afternoon.
You can read the full finalised and draft minutes of the meeting here.
They show that Grudsky used the meeting to promote closer ties between Scotland and Israel in a range of areas.
According to the official record, the Israeli embassy believed there was “potential for cooperation” between the two countries, “especially around climate change and renewable energy, bringing Israel’s world-leading technology to NHS Scotland, and promoting more tourism to Scotland from Israel”.
The diplomat also said the embassy wanted to “lay the ground” for a another visit to Scotland by then Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, “likely in early 2025”. As we reported last year, a planned visit by Hotovely in June 2024 had been cancelled because of security concerns.
The minutes show Robertson responding that Scottish Government officials would “consider all these issues”.
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He also said it was important to promote “the best possible relationships between the peoples of Scotland, Israel and Palestine”.
According to the record, Robertson added that “cooperation between Scots and Israelis was vital” and that there was “great value in people-to-people ties” to increase understanding between the countries.
The meeting became a political flashpoint after Grudsky posted a photograph of herself and Robertson smiling together at St Andrews House on social media. The post said they had discussed “unique commonalities” between Israel and Scotland and cooperation in “the fields of technology, culture and renewable energy”.
It sparked criticism from politicians and campaigners because it came at a time when Israel was facing widespread international condemnation over its war in Gaza. International NGOs and academics agree its extensive bombing campaign on the 25-mile-long strip constituted a genocide – a claim Israel refutes. It has been estimated that up to 75,000 people have been killed.
Robertson later apologised that the discussion had not focused solely on a ceasefire in Gaza, while the Scottish Government ruled out further meetings with Israel until there was “real progress” towards peace.
The minutes do show Robertson reiterating the Scottish Government’s position on Gaza. He said an immediate ceasefire was necessary to allow humanitarian aid into the city, expressed concern about civilian casualties, and noted growing opposition in Scotland to companies supplying the Israeli military.
“There was strong concern in Scotland of the horrific impact of the full military might of an industrialised, developed nation being brought to bear in an urban space, which affected the Scottish public’s views,” Robertson is noted as saying.
Two draft versions of the minutes of the meeting were also released to us as well as the finalised version. These reveal how the official record changed in the days after it took place and as public anger grew.
An initial draft of the minute, circulated on 9 August, placed discussion of Gaza at the end of the note. As we previously reported, five days later after backlash in the press, Robertson’s private secretary emailed officials saying the minister felt his comments on a ceasefire had become “lost in the middle” of the draft.
The email asked officials to ensure those messages were “fully brought out in the readout rather than lost in the middle of wider points”. In the final version, discussion of Gaza and the Scottish Government’s position on the conflict was moved to the beginning of the minute.
The release of the documents follows a ruling by Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, who found ministers had wrongly withheld parts of the record.
The Scottish Government had argued that releasing them to the public could damage relations between the UK and Israel and impact the effective conduct of public affairs.
Hamilton rejected those arguments and concluded ministers had failed to demonstrate the level of harm required to justify withholding the information. He also said he did not regard the material as “particularly sensitive”.
Robertson lost his Edinburgh Central seat at last month’s Holyrood election.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government’s consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was made clear during the meeting. There has been no further Ministerial engagement with the Government of Israel since.
“The Scottish Government initially withheld some of the information requested in line with exemptions set out in legislation.”
The Israeli embassy has been contacted for comment.
Paul is an investigative journalist with a focus on the environment, energy and climate change. His work has been featured by Channel 4 News and the UK’s leading newspapers. When not Ferreting he can be found walking and listening to podcasts.
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