John Swinney has pledged to raise “the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza” when he meets Donald Trump over the weekend.
The leader of the Scottish National party described the president’s four-day trip as “a landmark moment” in the relationship between Scotland and the US.
Ahead of Trump’s arrival in Scotland on Friday afternoon, Swinney said: “As we welcome the president of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy.
“As first minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland’s voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world.”
Swinney is under increasing pressure from within his party to take a strong position on the crisis in Gaza.
On Wednesday the former first minister Humza Yousaf and his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, shared on social media a plea to all governments to “force Israel to open the borders and allow aid to flow in”. They said El-Nakla’s cousin Sally and her four children were “being starved by Israel”.
“Millions in Gaza are being deliberately starved while Israel withholds food mere kilometres away. Words are not enough,” the couple posted.
El-Nakla, who is the convener of the SNP Friends of Palestine group, later told the Times that Swinney’s meeting with Trump represented “a critical opportunity to raise, directly and unequivocally, the ongoing genocide in Gaza”.
She added: “Time is not on the side of the people there. As I speak, my family – like millions of others – is starving. The first minister must demand that Trump use his influence to compel Israel to end the starvation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
Swinney said the global attention the visit would receive gave Scotland an opportunity to promote its tourism sector and investment potential.
He also expressed confidence that those demonstrating against Trump’s visit would “do Scotland proud” and conduct themselves peacefully and lawfully. Gatherings are planned by the Stop Trump Coalition in Aberdeen and Edinburgh on Saturday, with protests also expected closer to Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire. Road diversion and security restrictions are already being put in place.
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The Scottish Police Federation, which represents the rank and file, has warned the scale of the operation will stretch resources and could double the time taken for a police officer to attend an incident elsewhere.
Trump is expected to stay at his Turnberry resort over the weekend and meet Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, there on Monday before travelling to his resort in Aberdeenshire where he will celebrate the opening of a golf course dedicated to his mother.
Although this is a private visit, Trump and Starmer are expected to participate in a press conference with White House and Westminster media.