An SNP MSP who was suspended from the Holyrood group over comments about the Israel-Gaza war has been expelled from the party.
John Mason had the whip removed in August after posting on X that there was “no genocide” in Gaza.
He later told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland that the situation was “nothing like” previous examples of genocide.
Mason was expelled on Saturday following a meeting of the SNP Member Conduct Committee and has 21 days to appeal the decision.
Mason confirmed his expulsion on social media.
Write on X he said: “Very disappointed to be expelled from @theSNP for my comments on Israel, Gaza and whether or not genocide has taken place.
“I continue to believe that we should be able to tolerate a diversity of views within the party as long as we are all committed to Scottish independence.”
Mason was suspended days after Foreign Secretary Angus Robertson was depicted standing next to it Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to Britain, Daniela Grudsky
Many SNP figures are highly critical of Israel’s behavior in the Middle East and the diplomatic meeting led to internal backlash.
But Scottish First Minister John Swinney defended the personal meeting with a representative of the Israeli government.
The SNP said it could only comment on his deportation after the appeal period had expired.
At the time of Glasgow MSP Shettleston’s suspension, a spokesperson for the SNP chief said: “It is completely unacceptable to flippantly dismiss the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians.
“There can be no room for this kind of intolerance within the SNP.”
The war began after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
More than 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
