We must go further than mere recognition of Palestinian state

There’s no way Hamas can be permanently removed from government. Polls show it still has more support among Palestinians than Fatah. Nor is it necessary when it’s agreed to a joint government of Fatah and Hamas technocrats if the war ends. It makes no sense to say Hamas must be excluded from government when the Israeli government has overseen the murder of many times more civilians, with most Israeli opposition parties supporting that.

By saying Hamas must be removed from government forever Keir Starmer plays into the hands of Prime Minister Netanyahu and far right ministers Itimar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who use defeating Hamas as an excuse for continuing the genocide and ethnic cleansing to annex Gaza and the West Bank while maintaining a Jewish majority in an enlarged Israel.

Over 70% of the houses in Gaza have been destroyed. And over 42,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes in the West Bank, which were then destroyed as supposed “terrorist infrastructure” to make way for settlers.

The IDF continues to prevent enough aid entering Gaza. IDF figures of 14,000 trucks from March 19 to September 19 amount to 77 trucks per day compared to the 500 a day every established aid agency and charities say are needed.

Duncan McFarlane, Carluke.

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Swinney is wrong on Israel

John Swinney has taken on the responsibility of First Minister for Scotland. In this role he must act with care. He simply has not. He wants, in essence, to destroy the state of Israel ("Swinney calls on UK to impose more Israel sanctions", The Herald, September 22).

Does Mr Swinney have the slightest idea of the root causes of this conflict? He constantly blames Israel yet it takes two to tango and Hamas's despicable conduct, even to its own population, is rarely mentioned. Keir Starmer has made yet another massive foreign policy blunder to add to the Chagos Islands and not prosecuting alleged Chinese spies, but Mr Swinney wants more. This is not even in the remit of the First Minister. Given the draconian nature of Mr Swinney's "request" it is reasonable to ask why he is so one-sided in this entire affair. The SNP makes its dislike of Israel obvious but diplomacy requires a degree of tact. This appears to be lacking in spades. John Swinney seeks Scottish independence. He should at least have some sympathy for a small country in the Middle East whose total destruction is the sole aim of Hamas. He doesn't. Is this really the position our "caring" First Minister ought to be adopting?

Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.

• John Swinney insists on poking his nose in where it will usually be ignored but makes him feel important. His constant badgering of the media and Holyrood about Palestine and Israel has become boring but we all know the real reason is to target the Muslim vote in Scotland. Now he is hailing the UK Government recognition of Palestine as a state. That is also pandering to the voters and it runs against the grain of disagreeing with everything Westminster does. It’s just as well we don’t have any problems of our own in Scotland; I’m not sure Mr Swinney would be able to cope, with him being so busy fixing problems thousands of miles away.

Ian Balloch, Grangemouth.

Inequality at the UN

The death tolls in recent wars are horrifying: 5.5 million in the Congo, 0.5m in Syria, 0.5m in Sudan, 0.4m in Yemen, 0.3m in Iraq, 0.25m in Afghanistan and 60,000 in Gaza. Meanwhile UN resolutions in the last 10 years are 164 against Israel, 81 against the rest of the world combined. Something stinks.

Michael Watson, Rutherglen.

Asylum protests are appalling

I read with interest Sandra Dick’s recent Big Read article (“I’m from Falkirk and here’s why I think people have suddenly become so angry”, The Herald, September 20.) I am absolutely appalled by the recent protests against asylum seekers being housed in the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk.

I had the privilege of representing part of the Falkirk area for a third of a century in the House of Commons and later in the Scottish Parliament. I always found the overwhelming majority of my former constituents to be the salt of the earth, respecting and welcoming people whatever their ethnicity.

I suspect that many of the protestors have been drafted in from other areas to promote their own right-wing, racist agenda. If there are any local people involved or tempted to be involved, I appeal to them to remember the value of Falkirk’s humanitarian motto: “Touch ane, touch a’”.

As the descendant of an Irish immigrant who was a founding member of one of the first branches of the Labour Party in Scotland, I think that my Grandad, Frank Canavan JP, must be birling in his grave at the sight of today’s Labour Party. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s allegation that we are in danger of becoming an “island of strangers” has added fuel to the fire and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been pandering to the agenda of Nigel Farage.

In Scotland, there is still a belief that we’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns. In other words, we are all God’s children or, if you don’t believe in a deity, we are all members of the one race, the human race.

So let’s have some care for human beings who are fleeing from intolerable circumstances like war, persecution and famine. Many of them have the attributes and skills which can help to build a better, fairer Scotland.

Dennis Canavan, Bannockburn.

John Swinney has called for more sanctions against Israel(Image: PA)

The worst is yet to come

With rising prices, underfunded public services and young people struggling to find secure employment and affordable places to live, no wonder there is pressure and mental instability to life in general.

There is a lack of fairness and balance in the UK that favours the few at the expense of the many, which can only increase tension and anxiety in society.

However with ever-advancing computers we may be in a final Industrial Revolution, where AI and robots take control, making people redundant or even disposable.

Grant Frazer, Newtonmore.

Danger in employment bill

It is astonishing that despite the Government's manifesto pledge to “grow the economy” we see legislation after legislation that does precisely the opposite.

The Employment Rights Bill currently going through Parliament has to be one of the most damaging to growth, with the increased restrictions on employers to dismiss unfitting staff from day one, and increased powers for unions to interfere in even small, young businesses that are trying to establish themselves. It is hardly surprising that the Prime Minister’s current approval rating is at a record low.

An Institute of Directors survey from August 2024 found that 57% of business leaders were less likely to hire due to the Employment Rights Bill, citing increased risk and potential higher operating costs associated with expanding day-one rights to protection against unfair dismissal and other changes.

In our own SME, we will now be considering offshore agency staff that are both cheaper and less risky as we strive to grow our business in the current challenging environment.

The Government is shooting itself in the foot by introducing policies that are anti-business while in desperate need of increased revenue from taxes provided by SMEs which are the lifeblood of the economy.

Colin Palmer, Kilmaurs.

The Big Yin was so right

Your first three letters today (September 22) about our governance at Holyrood remind me of Billy Connolly's now-legendary comment that what we find in Holyrood is a "wee, pretendy parliament", and that Boris Johnson – remember him? – was/is a big, silly toff who should seek professional help.

Ah, these were the days: politics explained simply.

Walter Paul, Glasgow.