The Scottish government has said that until "real progress" is made in peace negotiations over the Gaza war, it will not meet with Israeli ambassadors again.

Following Angus Robertson's meeting with Daniela Grudsky, "Israel's" deputy ambassador to the UK, the SNP administration has come under fire.

Robertson expressed regret that the meeting was not "strictly limited" to talks about a ceasefire. declaring that unless "Israel" made "real progress" toward peace and humanitarian relief and until it "cooperates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes," the administration would not accept invitations from "Israel".

The meeting prompted a backlash from numerous SNP members who have been sharply critical of "Israel's" policies.

However, following the controversy last week, First Scottish Minister John Swinney defended the in-person meeting in an online statement, acknowledging that some people thought the meeting was "not appropriate" but stood by the decision to accept the Israeli request.

Meanwhile, Robertson attempted to clarify that the purpose of the meeting was not to justify Israeli government policies in Gaza.

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"The Scottish government has been consistent in our unequivocal condemnation of the atrocities we have witnessed in Gaza," he told the BBC, adding, “The reality, however, is that this meeting has been taken by many to represent a normalisation of relations between the Israeli and Scottish governments."

“As such, it is clear that it would have been better to ensure that the meeting was strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the appalling loss of life in the region. I apologise for the fact that this did not happen."

'Mutual interests' on genocide

This apology comes after SNP MSP John Mason relayed on social media platform X that there was "no genocide" in Gaza, leading to his suspension by the party's Holyrood group.

He stated that the situation in Gaza was "nothing like" earlier instances of genocide on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland program.

Robertson met Grudsky on August 8, but the Scottish government didn't make an announcement about it until four days later.

The government's statement mentioned areas of “mutual interest” between Scotland and the occupation and claimed that Robertson had “reiterated the Scottish government’s position in calling for an immediate ceasefire by all sides," noting that Robertson urged for “the unconditional release of all hostages and the opening of safe routes to allow more humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza."

Since then, a spokesperson has stated that the Israeli Embassy requested a delay in making the meeting public due to "security" reasons.  

Robertson apologized, saying that although "Israel" had asked for the meeting, he had decided to attend and that the first minister had been informed beforehand.

In his apology, he expressed, "My view was that given the Israeli UK Deputy Ambassador had requested a meeting it was an opportunity to express the Scottish government's clear and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and I did exactly that."

The decision to have the meeting was criticized by SNP figures, such as Emma Roddick, Kevin Stewart, and Elena Whitham, who were all previous ministers.

According to Robertson, diplomatic ties and laying out of differences "when we are in dialogue with countries we are in disagreement with" are crucial for a nation like Scotland, "where we are aspiring to have an independent state."

Building ties on Palestinian plight

Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, welcomed the apology for the diplomatic encounter, which was “clearly an astonishing error of judgement."

“Holding a meeting of this kind with the state of Israel at this time looks like normalising acts of genocide... It’s really important that the Scottish government has acknowledged what a serious mistake they made holding a meeting of that kind," Harvie said.

“But I want this to be about more than the optics of a single meeting, I want it to be about a change of practice.”

He called on the Scottish government to make sure that companies that sell weapons to "Israel" or are "complicit in illegal settlements" do not receive financial support.

Prior to this, an Israeli Embassy official told BBC Scotland News that building relationships and fostering engagement was the responsibility of foreign ambassadors "as part of the longstanding and positive relationship between Israel and the UK."

The Scottish Greens submitted a parliamentary motion calling on Robertson to apologize for the private meeting, as the motion highlights that this occurred "more than three hundred days into Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza" and after an international court found "Israel" “guilty of apartheid, racial segregation, illegal occupation, and other crimes under the Geneva Conventions.”

The motion, introduced by Harvie, also highlights that the Scottish Government described the conversation between Robertson and the deputy ambassador as addressing “areas of mutual interest.”

It calls on the Scottish Government to apologize and “to confirm to Parliament that the Scottish Government has no intention of developing closer ties to the State of Israel for as long as its actions towards the Palestinian people are in breach of international law”.