Orcadian column, 16 October 2025
After so many images of death and destruction what a blessed relief it was to see pictures of joy emerging earlier this week from a region mired in bloodshed for so long.
It is two years since the murderous attack by Hamas on a music festival and kibbutzim in the south of Israeli that left 1200 dead and 250 taken hostage. In response, the Netanyahu government and Israeli Defence Force unleashed a genocidal wave of violence in Gaza, accounting for the lives of more than 67,000 mostly women and children, with many more injured and most of the population displaced. In that context, it scarcely felt credible to see rejoicing in Gaza over the weekend, first at the announcement of a ceasefire and then at the prospect of a peace deal and release of Palestinian detainees.
At the same time, in Israel too tears of joy were shed at the return of the remaining 20 hostages still alive. The families of these hostages, as well as those still facing an agonising wait for bodies to be returned, have come to be the most consistent voice of challenge within Israel to the actions of the Netanyahu government.
To broker such an outcome was always going to require pressure from the United States and President Trump is due credit for the part he has played in recent events. Yet this begs the question as to why it took him so long to act, not least as an earlier ceasefire was in place back in January shortly after President Trump entered the White House. It is heart-wrenching to think of the lives lost in Gaza in the months since then.
Despite understandable nervousness, there is a feeling that this represents the best opportunity for an enduring peace since the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993. Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council was involved in that process and insists that any hope of peace now will require new leadership on both sides, as well as united, strong and enduring international pressure.
Mr Egeland argues too that humanitarian principles must be respected. “What hope can there be for the future” he asks, “while Israel decides when and what Palestinian civilians eat, and whether or not they should be allowed materials to provide shelter for their homeless families?” A sustained funding plan will be needed also to deal with the devastation of Gaza’s health, education, agriculture and housing infrastructure.
Optimism, of course, feels naïve given the entrenched hatred, mistrust and past atrocities. Already we see Hamas reasserting itself in Gaza through cold-blooded reprisals, while the IDF still occupies much of the territory and Israeli politicians denounce any notion of Palestinian statehood. Even so, the images that seemed so unlikely just a week or so ago have kindled much-needed hope.
Closer to home, party conference season is drawing to a close for another year. Last weekend, the SNP met in Aberdeen, where the First Minister, John Swinney assured the party faithful that independence was just round the next corner. For all his protestations, it’s fair to assume that Mr Swinney knows this not to be true, but he’s caught in the same bind as his predecessors, Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf
and needs to keep his activists motivated. Meanwhile, most members of the public care less about another divisive referendum and more about the ongoing cost of living pressures. They are also less than impressed by the record of Mr Swinney’s government in key areas such as health, education, transport, the environment and the economy.
Many of these issues will be the focus of debate at Scottish Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow on Saturday. Members will gather in upbeat mood following a string of recent electoral successes across the UK at local and national level. Confidence within the party going into next May’s Holyrood election is high, and I’m looking forward to the contest here in Orkney, having been re-selected to stand.
The outcome, needless to say, is impossible to predict at this stage but with 50 current MSPs standing down, the make-up of the next Scottish Parliament will be very different. That may bring with it challenges, but such things, of course, are relative.