Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) welcomes the announcement by John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, that his government will pause new awards of public money to arms companies supplying Israel. In the face of what he described as “prima facie evidence” of genocide in Gaza, the decision marks a rare instance of political leadership aligning economic policy with humanitarian principle.
For too long, the business of war has been treated as a matter of industrial pragmatism, insulated from moral scrutiny. The UK remains a leading exporter of arms to Israel, even as the International Court of Justice considers allegations of genocide, and as UN agencies warn of man-made mass starvation in Gaza.
Against this, Scotland’s stance sends a clear message: there can be no business as usual when weapons fuel atrocities.
This is not simply symbolism. By halting grants and investment support to arms companies implicated in Israel’s military campaign, Scotland lays down a gauntlet. Public money should not subsidise private profit when such profit is linked to the deaths of civilians and the destruction of communities. As Jamie Livingstone of Oxfam Scotland put it, this is a “vital act of solidarity.”
AOAV agrees.
The Scottish government has also pledged to treat injured children from Gaza in Scottish hospitals and committed funds to deploy a rapid-response medical facility in the territory. These measures reinforce the principle that humanitarian support must run in tandem with the restriction of lethal supply chains.
For Westminster, the announcement will be uncomfortable. The UK government has been cautious, preferring to suspend trade talks with Israel rather than suspend arms exports. Sir Keir Starmer has promised recognition of a Palestinian state, but only under conditions that seem increasingly distant. Meanwhile, Scotland has already flown the Palestinian flag above St Andrew’s House and moved to ensure that no new public funds will reach arms firms complicit in the war in Gaza.
AOAV knows that arms exports cannot be divorced from their human consequences. Every bomb sold, every rifle licensed, carries the risk of civilian harm. Where there is credible evidence of genocide, the moral and legal imperative is clear: stop fuelling the fire.
John Swinney’s announcement should not be dismissed as mere “student politics,” as some critics have claimed. It is an attempt to reconcile the responsibilities of government with the realities of war. It is a recognition that the machinery of violence is not abstract, but all too real for the families mourning their dead in Gaza.
Scotland’s action is a modest step in the long battle to ensure accountability in the global arms trade. But it is also a brave one.
AOAV applauds this decision and urges other governments – including Westminster – to follow suit.
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