HALT arms sales to Israel immediately, the Scottish National Party demanded today.

The party’s Middle East spokesman Brendan O’Hara, one of the foremost parliamentary champions of the Palestinian cause, said that securing peace “will require more than diplomatic statements — it will require firm diplomatic action, including an immediate end to arms sales to Israel.”

Mr O’Hara added that “the ceasefire achieved in Lebanon is welcome, but it must not diminish or dilute the strength of our efforts in stopping the collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza.