Angus Robertson is still "a liability" and has shown "poor judgment" one of the SNP's most senior MSPs has said in the wake of the external affairs secretary's apology over meeting a senior Israeli diplomat.

Christine Grahame wrote to the First Minister last week calling on him to reconsider his support for Mr Robertson who has been facing calls for his sacking over the talks with Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK Daniela Grudsky in Edinburgh earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the SNP's Dalkeith branch is expected a motion of censure against Mr Robertson ahead of the party conference starting at the end of the month.

A source told The Herald Mr Robertson's apology was not expected to change the motion which will be discussed this evening by branch members.

John Swinney was forced to defend the embattled Cabinet minister after a party backlash to the meeting which followed an invitation from the Israeli Embassy.

Christine Grahame MSP (Image: Ken Jack)

In a statement last week Mr Robertson said he and Ms Grudsky discussed "areas of mutual interest, including culture, renewable energy, and engaging the country’s respective diasporas".

He also said he had restated the Scottish Government's "calls 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."

But in a statement yesterday Mr Robertson, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central, said the meeting was "taken by many to represent a normalisation of relations" between Israel and Scotland and should have been limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the "appalling loss of life in the region".

He apologised for those limits not having been enforced and said further meeting invitations would not be accepted until "real progress" had been made on peace in the region and "Israel co-operates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes".

Ms Grudsky and Mr Robertson (Image: PA)

Speaking exclusively to The Herald Ms Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, who was first elected to Holyrood in 1999 and is a former deputy presiding office, said her views had not changed about Mr Robertson since his apology and he had "contaminated" the good work done by the former First Minister Humza Yousaf and SNP MPs on highlighting the situation in Gaza.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began reprisals bombings for attacks by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7 last year.

"He has shown poor judgment," she said.

"Anyone could have seen [the meeting itself] was poor judgment, also that he didn't agree to the agenda in advance and that it was held in private. 

(Image: PA) Former First Minister Humza Yousaf's pictured with his parents in law Elizabeth and Maged El Nakla after the couple returned to Scotland having been trapped in Gaza last autumn.

"All of these things demonstrate to me poor judgment."

She said she had consulted with party members in her constituency who asked her to write to the First Minister and put their views forward expressing opposition to the meeting.

"All the SNP councillors in Mid Lothian and the Borders feel exactly the same. This was wrong," she added.

READ MORE: Why is the SNP tearing itself apart over Israel meeting?

READ MORE: Swinney faces demands to sack Robertson as SNP fury grows

"It does not need retrospect to work this out. The meeting calls into question his judgment. Many of us could see immediately that this was the wrong thing to do.

"Had it only been about the war in Gaza, the Palestinian situation and the hostages and was held in public that would have been a different matter. But this was not about that.

"They should have thought 'Why am I being invited to this meeting and what will the outcome be? And is this the right thing to do to represent what the Scottish Government believes in and what in fact many of the Scottish people believe in? 

"Those are the sort of questions they should have asked. I don't see judgment in here at all and all I see is now 'well if I'd only thought about this and thought about what might happen and might not have done it'. Well no, you should think of these things before."

She continued: "I have not changed my view that this was poor judgment and that therefore he made himself a liability."

Ms Grahame said it was up to Mr Swinney whether he continued to have Mr Robertson in his government and it was up to Mr Robertson to decide whether he should resign.

"My view is that he is now contaminated with this poor judgment and he has contaminated the great work that was done by us, by Humza and by our MPs and I think that will remain with them."

In his statement released yesterday, Mr Robertson said: "My view was that given the Israeli UK deputy ambassador had requested a meeting it was an opportunity to express the Scottish Government's clear and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and I did exactly that.

"No-one intended that this meeting be presented as legitimising the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. The Scottish Government has been consistent in our unequivocal condemnation of the atrocities we have witnessed in Gaza.

"The reality, however, is that this meeting has been taken by many to represent a normalisation of relations between the Israeli and Scottish governments.

"As such, it is clear that it would have been better to ensure that the meeting was strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the appalling loss of life in the region. I apologise for the fact that this did not happen.

"Going forward, it is clear that, having now spoken direct to the Israeli government and making them aware of our position on an immediate ceasefire, it would not be appropriate to accept any invitation for a further meeting.

"This will remain our position until such time as real progress has been made towards peace, unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance is provided and Israel co-operates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes.

"The Scottish Government does not support any normalisation of its relations with the Israeli government during this period."

Mr Yousaf welcomed Mr Robertson's statement.

"He has clearly listened and reflected on the anger and upset in relation to his meeting with the Israeli Deputy Ambassador, and apologised. Crucially, he has made it clear there can not be normal relations with the Govt of Israel," the former First Minister wrote on X yesterday.

On Saturday, SNP MSP John Mason, who backed the decision to hold the meeting, had the whip removed over comments he made about Gaza.

On Friday, Mr Mason posted a tweet saying: "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed 10 times as many."

Speaking on BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland radio programme on Monday, he said: "I completely stand by the tweet".

He told the BBC: "I thought about it for a long time, and I would like to see Scotland, the UK, acting more as a peacemaker, rather than cheering on either side.

"But I put out that tweet because I do feel strongly. Israel, and the Jews in this country as well, feel very much threatened and under pressure.

"Israel is a tiny country surrounded by some very hostile states."

The Glasgow Shettleston MSP said he had not expected to lose the whip but it had been necessary to do the "right thing".

SNP public finance minister Ivan McKee told the broadcaster Mr Mason's comments were "deeply offensive" and he should "educate himself".

Last week, Mr Swinney said the meeting was "necessary" and that Mr Robertson had pressed Ms Grudsky on "the killing and suffering of innocent civilians".

The SNP and the Israeli Embassy in London were approached for comment.