Exclusive:Humza Yousaf: Approving Rosebank would 'facilitate illegal Israeli settlements'

The former first minister also says the UK government is “complicit in genocide”, and said he rejects claims there is a ceasefire in Gaza. He also said the UK government should de-proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.

In an exclusive interview with The Steamie, the politics podcast from The Scotsman, Mr Yousaf said the decision on whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea is the first big test of Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s commitment to ban goods and services supporting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A decision on Rosebank, and the nearby Jackdaw oilfield, is expected to be made by the UK Government in the coming weeks.

Mr Yousaf says his position on developing new oil and gas fields has “not changed” since leaving frontline politics earlier this year, but said there is a “moral imperative” to reject Rosebank.

He said: “They shouldn’t go ahead, Rosebank even more so because of the statement by the foreign secretary in the Commons.

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“The foreign secretary said they would target companies that service illegal Israeli settlements - Ithaca Energy, which has a significant stake in Rosebank, is majority owned by the Delek Group, who are blacklisted in a UN report for activities facilitating illegal settlements by providing fuel to the IDF.

“You couldn’t be more involved in the illegal settlements if you tried.

“This is an important test of the foreign secretary’s words - how can a company facilitating illegal settlements be given approval to build an oilfield so the profits of Scotland’s natural resources then go into facilitating illegal settlements?

“That shouldn’t take place, so as well as the climate imperative, which is a strong argument, I don’t think Rosebank should go ahead.

“It is a moral imperative given what we are seeing in the West Bank and settlements across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Earlier this month Mr Miliband told parliament that the UK will ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the Foreign Office said it was “confident” the UK would be able to impose these sanctions.

Within hours, Israel responded with four counter-measures, including closing the UK consulate in Jerusalem and banning 11 MPs from entering the country. However, Mr Miliband said the UK had to “call out” the illegal settlements before it was “too late” to save the two-state solution.

Since John Swinney succeeded Mr Yousaf as First Minister, there has been a softening on the Scottish Government’s stance on North Sea oil and gas. Mr Swinney has said all new developments must be subject to a climate compatibility test, rather than opposing them.

When asked if Mr Swinney is wrong to soften his stance on Jackdaw and Rosebank, Mr Yousaf said: “I have a good relationship with John, but John has won the election and got his mandate. He’s got to decide which way the party goes on this issue.

“It is right to say the UK Government has the final say, and I don’t disagree that with what we’ve seen in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the challenges around energy security means we have to think differently.

“The only thing I would say is the produce of the North Sea is not kept in Scotland - it is sold on the market.

“I have a good relationship with John, but I do think it is important as a government we make sure we are doing our bit at a time when the planet is quite literally burning.”

Mr Yousaf also said the UK government is complicit in genocide in Gaza.

During his interview with The Steamie, he said: “I think they are complicit in genocide.

“If you are selling parts of jets used to bomb children, you are complicit, no ifs, buts, maybes in my mind, and in a lot of people’s minds who are legal experts and far more knowledgeable than I am.

“There is a slight demarcation under Andy Burnham.

“It is not usual for me to praise a foreign secretary, but Ed Miliband should be praised for taking the difficult decision in one respect because he was very aware of the backlash he would receive for his actions on Israeli, on E1 settlements and banning goods and services in relation to illegal settlements.

“He deserves credit, and I watched his speech to conference and his powerful admission that Labour under Keir Starmer had got it wrong.”

He also said he rejected claims there has been a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mr Yousaf said: “There has been a ceasefire since October 2025, but it is a so-called ceasefire.

“Thirteen hundred Palestinians have been killed, including over 300 children, so claiming to me that a ceasefire is ongoing while 300 children are brutally killed, I don’t accept that.

“We know that violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has gotten worse in the last year too - we are hearing directly from the ground how difficult things still are.”

In his book, which is published on October 1, Mr Yousaf is highly critical of successive UK governments for their reaction to the war in Gaza, including their support for him and his family while they were trapped.

He said former foreign secretary James Cleverly “displayed little empathy” and showed “little urgency”.

When it comes to former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, he said: “Unfortunately, Israel has been a blind spot for Keir.

“During his ill-fated term as PM, he oversaw higher sales of arms, weapons and munitions to Israel between October and December 2024 than the preceding four years under the Tories.

“On 11 October 2023 during an interview on LBC, Keir stated his belief that Israel had the right to withhold water and electricity from the people of Gaza. It was a shocking statement for anyone to make, let alone a human rights lawyer.

“Despite his attempts to backtrack, Starmer’s perceived support for the collective punishment of the people of Gaza will haunt him for the rest of his life. Gaza will be to Keir Starmer, as Iraq is to Tony Blair.”