John Swinney is facing a clamour of calls by senior party figures to sack Angus Robertson from his Scottish Government role over his meeting with a senior Israeli diplomat.

The First Minister is under increasing pressure to remove Mr Robertson from his Cabinet amid a wave of anger sweeping through all levels of the SNP over his decision to speak with Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK Daniela Grudsky in Edinburgh.

A leaked text message sent by one long serving and loyal MSP, who does not wish to be named, to Mr Swinney said people were shocked at the "apparent" endorsement of Israel by the SNP.

“I have long considered AR a luxury the front bench does not need," the MSP told Mr Swinney in the text seen by The Herald.

The message sent on Wednesday directly to the First Minister also noted that people were resigning their membership of the party over the meeting which took place last week.

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"Quite apart from my own dismay at Angus Robertson’s meeting with Israel rep I have been out and about on my summer surgery tour," the MSP said in his text message to Mr Swinney.

"At every stop where there were people meeting me I had representations shocked at this apparent endorsement by the SNP. The many emails including those from our councillors I shall forward to you. I note you have supported AR but will also know of resignations from members of the party. I have long considered AR a luxury the Front Bench does not need.”

(Image: Israeli Government)

Daniela Grudsky, Israel's Deputy Ambassador to the UK, with Angus Robertson in a picture she posted on X (Twitter) Image: Twitter (X)

SNP MSPs Kevin Stewart, Emma Roddick, Elena Whitham and James Dornan have all publicly expressed concern over the matter, while SNP MSP John Mason also met with Ms Grudsky - sparking further anger.

The Herald has been told that other MSPs have contacted the party leadership to call for Mr Robertson to either step down or for Mr Swinney to sack him while some figures are calling for Mr Robertson to apologise.

"The party is divided between people who are unhappy about the meeting and have contacted the First Minister to tell him and those who are unhappy and have yet to do something about it. Apart from John Mason there is nobody who is happy," said one senior source.

Toni Giugliano, a former Holyrood and Westminster candidate,  wrote on X last night: "For the love of god remove the whip from Mason and sack the CabSec from govt. Do it now."

Loyal foot soldier Alex Gill, one of a group of dedicated activists who have helped out in challenging recent election campaigns, wrote: "As long as Angus Robertson remains in government and John Mason retains the party whip, I can not, in good conscience, continue to actively campaign for the SNP. Their recent actions have deeply hurt the collective values that many of us within the party hold dear, and I know."

Mr Gill later added:"Angus Robertson needs to be sacked, and John Mason needs to have the whip removed. Anything less is too little, too late."

Alex Neil, the former SNP health secretary also called for Mr Robertson's removal from his role as external affairs secretary.

"Robertson must be sacked from the Cabinet if the SNP is to retain any credibility on the position it has rightly taken on the humanitarian disaster the Israeli government has inflicted on the innocent people killed in Gaza," he wrote on X.

Former First Minister Humza Yousaf whose parents-in-law Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla were trapped in Gaza at the start of the Israeli bombardment is also understood to be concerned about the meeting on August 8.

He revealed last week that the couple are preparing to give eyewitness testimony to deliver to the International Criminal Court (ICC) amid a war crimes investigation against Israel and were 'extremely tramatised' by their experience under siege.

He said they witnessed an eight-year-old girl land in their garden with a broken spine following a bomb blast.

"The things they've seen and endured will live with them for their whole lives," he told an interviewer at the Edinburgh Fringe.

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Mr Dornan told The Herald he was shocked that Mr Robertson had held the meeting with the senior Israeli diplomat and had his picture taken with her afterwards.

"I think Angus has got questions to answer. I think he owes us an apology and he has to accept he made a huge misjudgement. What happens after that is for the government to decide and for Angus himself to decide what his role is," he said.

"But it is a huge misjudgment. Having the meeting in the first place and having that photo taken."

Former SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said while he thought it was appropriate for Mr Robertson to meet the senior diplomat, he did not think he should have agreed to the photograph being taken.

"It's not so much that the meeting took place. It's entirely proper for someone in Angus's position to meet any international diplomat. The party and the government don't have a policy of boycotting Israel," he said.

"But if there was to have been a meeting it should only have been for the purpose of communicating our extreme concerns at the actions of the Israeli government. And you don't convey that by posing for a PR shot in the manner you would do with any normal diplomat."

Meanwhile, SNP MPs yesterday accused Mr Robertson of undermining their work by meeting Ms Grudsky.

In a furious letter, obtained by Holyrood magazine, Brendan O’Hara, the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson at Westminster, said no discussions should be taking place "with a government who is responsible for causing such unfathomable pain and suffering.”

The letter - supported by all nine of the party's MPs, including Stephen Flynn - will add to the pressure on Mr Robertson over the meeting.

Earlier this week Mr Swinney defended the meeting between Mr Robertson and Ms Grudsky which he said had been “necessary to outline our long-standing position on an immediate ceasefire directly, and explicitly, to one of Israel’s representatives in the UK”.

He added: “The Scottish Government received the meeting request and accepted on the basis it would provide an opportunity to convey our consistent position on the killing and suffering of innocent civilians in the region.”

Details of the summit emerged over last weekend when the diplomat publicly thanked Mr Robertson on social media for “welcoming us to wonderful Scotland.”

She added: “Discussed the unique commonalities between Israel and Scotland and also emphasized the urgent need to bring back our 115 hostages. Looking forward to cooperating in the fields of technology, culture and renewable energy.”

But in his letter, Mr O’Hara said the meeting would act to “lend legitimacy” to Benyamin Netanyahu’s government.

He added that Mr Robertson had “completely undermined the months of diligent hard work”, by SNP MPs.

“Almost alone in that parliament we have pushed and scrutinised the action of the UK government.

"We were the ones who first called for an immediate ceasefire. It was the SNP who first described Israel's actions as ‘ethnic cleansing’.

"It was the SNP who those millions of people across these islands, who believe passionately in human rights and International Law, looked to, to be their voice.

"It was the SNP who stood with the Palestinian people in their time of greatest need, when so many other either chose to, or were bullied into, remaining silent.

“I fear all of that has been undone by the decision of the Scottish Government to meet with the deputy Israeli ambassador, and thereby normalise relations with a government whose actions could never be described as ‘normal’.”

Mr O'Hara, in his two-page letter, also stated: “I simply cannot fathom why, with such well-documented breaches of International Humanitarian Law and with an ongoing investigation by the ICC [International Criminal Court] into crime of genocide against Israel, that the Scottish Government thought it politically ... or morally... appropriate to engage in discussion about future cooperation in the fields of technology, culture, and renewable energy with a representative of this regime.

“In my opinion, no such discussions should be taking place with a government who is responsible for causing such unfathomable pain and suffering.”

Previously the SNP's Commons spokesperson for defence, Mr O’Hara is one of nine MPs returned for the party in the general election.

SNP national secretary Lorna Finn also expressed her opposition to the meetings.

Writing on X she said: “Disappointment doesn’t begin to cover how I feel about a minister and backbench MSP from my party meeting Israel’s depute ambassador. In the midst of a genocide it is unconscionable and lends legitimacy to the action’s of Netanyahu’s government."

The SNP has been approached for comment.

Responding to the letter from Mr O'Hara, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As the First Minister made clear earlier this week, the Scottish Government accepted a meeting request from the Israeli UK Deputy Ambassador on the basis it would provide an opportunity to convey our consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“This position was made directly, and explicitly, by the Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs during the meeting. 

“The Scottish Government remains committed to an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, an end to UK arms sales to Israel and will continue to press the UK Government to recognise a sovereign Palestinian state, as part of a two-state solution to secure lasting peace in the region.”

Earlier this week, a spokesman for Mr Robertson said during the meeting areas of mutual interest, including culture, renewable energy, and engaging the country’s respective diasporas had been discussed.

"Following the criminal and far-right acts we have seen in parts of England and Northern Ireland, the Cabinet Secretary emphasised the Scottish Government’s continued work with Police Scotland to protect Scotland’s faith communities and tackle all hate crimes, including antisemitism, head on," the statement added.

“Mr Robertson reiterated the Scottish Government’s position in calling for an immediate ceasefire by all sides in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages and the opening of safe routes to allow more humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza."