The Scottish Parliament has rejected flying the Israeli flag outside its building in a decision involving a Green MSP who sparked fury over a Palestine tweet.
The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) turned down a Tory proposal to raise the blue and white standard over Holyrood.
Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens’ representative in the five-member group, was reportedly involved in the decision.
Ms Chapman sparked a backlash over the weekend when she took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to blame Israel for horror attacks by Hamas.
The SPCB rejected the request by Scottish Conservative MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane during a meeting on Monday.
A Scottish Parliament spokesperson said: “A request was received to fly the Israeli flag. The SPCB considered the request and approval was not given.”
Dr Gulhane said he was “disappointed” with the decision not to fly the Israeli flag over the Scottish Parliament.
He told The Telegraph: “It was never about taking sides. It was an opportunity to join others around the world and here in the UK to show solidarity with the victims and condemn the terrorists.”
Donald Cameron, the Scottish Tories’ external affairs spokesman, added: “It’s perhaps not surprising the parliament’s corporate body rejected the reasonable proposal of my colleague Sandesh Gulhane, given that Maggie Chapman herself sits on that very body.”
The SPCB is made up of an MSP from the SNP, Scottish Labour, the Scottish Tories and the Scottish Greens, as well as the Scottish Parliament’s presiding officer Alison Johnstone.
The Tory member is Jackson Carlaw, who criticised Ms Chapman’s tweet on Saturday.
The Scottish Green MSP said: “What’s happening in Palestine is a consequence of apartheid, of illegal occupation and of imperial aggression by the Israel state.
“Palestinian civilians have seen their homes destroyed, their water stolen and their land appropriated illegally.”
Mr Carlaw wrote to Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf urging him to end the SNP’s coalition with the Scottish Greens following the “vile comments”.
