Chamber and committees

Thank you, convener, and good morning. I do not think that I have any relevant interests to declare. My voluntary entry in the register of members’ interests shows that I am a member of some organisations that might choose to give evidence to the committee, and I will mention that if it happens.

I joined the committee recently, so I am playing catch-up, but I think that Mr Ross’s comments about the bill’s definition of a drug as “any intoxicant” have clarified what I want to ask about. I was a bit confused when Mr Ross mentioned nicotine. My understanding is that the legal status of a drug would not have any bearing on the application of the bill. Does the bill cover nicotine addiction or addiction to legally available painkillers? Would it automatically cover a drug that was decriminalised in the future? Is the application of the bill disconnected from the legal status of a drug?

The Israeli Government forbids independent journalism inside Gaza. Does that impose restrictions on humanitarian aid workers and agencies recording and reporting their direct experience of the situation that they face on the ground?

Do any of the other witnesses want to comment on the issue? The Scottish Government is contributing resources—albeit at a smaller level, given that Scotland is a non-independent country—in the hope that that will be effective in relieving suffering. What impact is the lack of safety for humanitarian workers having on the effectiveness of those attempts at intervention?

Before we end, I just wanted to broaden out the discussion a little. The subject of the evidence session is Gaza, because the scale of the violence and the collective punishment of the people of Gaza is so severe. Your written briefing, however, also mentions the West Bank, which is obviously connected. As your briefing indicates, there have already been situations where people have had to flee refugee camps in the West Bank, as a result of violence either by illegal settlers or by the occupying power itself, and the political intent that is clear from statements that have been made at the highest level of the Israeli Government is very similar. Those who have expressed explicitly genocidal intent in relation to Palestine make similar comments about all of Palestine, not just Gaza.

Is there an anticipation that the situation and the humanitarian need in the West Bank could reach something comparable to what we have seen in Gaza, if the statements that we have seen from senior members of the Israeli Government become active policy?

Thank you.

Saleh Saeed talked about the need for humanitarian agencies to balance the immediate action that is required with the need for long-term planning over months and even years. How possible is it to do that, when the statements that have come from the Israeli Government at the highest level seem to suggest that its intention is to make the situation far worse?

If you care to respond, I would welcome that.

Good morning. First, I want to acknowledge the gratitude and respect that not only I but, I am sure, many other people have for the work that is being done by people who are putting themselves in harm’s way in relation to their physical safety and their wider wellbeing. No discussion that we have can be adequate in the face of what is happening. We are sat here with fresh water on the table, we will all be fed and we will all sleep safely tonight. That is not true not only for Palestinians but for many humanitarian aid workers. Over the past years, a significant number of humanitarian aid workers have been killed during the assault on Gaza, and there is significant evidence that, in a number of incidents, humanitarian aid workers have been deliberately targeted by the Israel Defense Forces.

I want to further explore the issue of safety, which Jayne Crow has mentioned a couple of times. In particular, what impact is being felt in relation not only to the people who are doing work on the ground but to the effectiveness of the available resources to provide humanitarian relief? What impact has there been on the effectiveness of that work, given that you constantly have to consider the safety and wellbeing of your staff on the ground and, as Jayne Crow said, the locations where aid is provided? How are you able to do that effectively? What is the impact of having to address the safety of your operations?

I will start with Jayne Crow, because she has mentioned safety a couple of times, but others might want to respond, too.

Good morning, everyone. I put on the record my thanks to the production team for letting me come and visit the set recently with one of my colleagues and for welcoming us there. As Jackie Baillie knows very well, I grew up about 10 minutes’ walk away from where that set is based. When I was growing up and getting involved in am-dram at the Dumbarton People’s Theatre, if I had known that 10 minutes’ walk away there was a place where young people were getting their first opportunity in that career, I might never have bothered the Scottish Parliament. If things had worked out differently, who knows?