A Scottish MSP has been suspended by his party after stating that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza.
John Mason, who represents Glasgow Shettleston, wrote on X: "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many."
Mason was quickly suspended as the Whip of the SNP Party following his comment, which was made in response to a controversy over Scottish Foreign Minister Angus Robertson's meeting with the deputy ambassador of Israel in the UK, Daniela Grudsky, which angered many in the SNP Party.
After his suspension, Mason reiterated his position and told Sky News, "It's never my intention to upset people, but I'm not afraid of upsetting people in the sense of if I think something important needs to be said."
"It's the point of, you know, if Israel actually wanted to commit genocide, it would be a lot worse than it is. I think it's a valid point, and I stand by that."
SNP called Mason's statement "utterly abhorrent" and accused him of "flippantly dismiss[ing] the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians," citing the casualty figures provided by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.