AN INVERCLYDE general election candidate has called for Muslim nations to take in the entire Palestinian population until Israel 'deals' with Hamas.

Independent hopeful John Burleigh told a hustings event in Greenock that people have remained in Gaza in order to be a 'human shield' for the terrorists.

His comments came in response to a question for all candidates asking whether the UK should provide arms to Israel.

Mr Burleigh said: “There are hostages who are being held in civilian places with Hamas using the civilians as a human shield, that’s the crux of the matter.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be a military solution either because it’s turned into an insurgency war, they’re not just coming, they’re fighting people from Pakistan and from all over coming in and fighting.

“It’s going to take a different type of stealth but the way it is just now I wonder why the other Muslim nations are not helping out.

“Now what I mean by that is with all the Palestinians that are there, it would be nice for them to go to a safe place until they [Israel] deal with Hamas.

“But I think the way it is at the moment they are staying there to be a human shield for Hamas.

“That’s the way I see it.

“Sadly, the hostages are hostages.

“But it would be nice to see Hamas taken out, but that’s going to be very very difficult.

“It might take a wee bit longer but I want peace as well, I want peace with the whole area and supplying arms I think isn’t the solution.”

The controversial issue of whether the UK should continue to sell weapons to Israel has been a topic of focus in recent months, with Gaza’s health ministry reporting that more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas last year.

Conservative candidate Ted Runciman told the audience at the Inverclyde Christian Initiative hustings that he was in favour of negotiating a ceasefire in the region.

He added: “What we would really like to see is a ceasefire, something whereby we can negotiate a peaceful settlement between the two.

“There has to be an answer between the dual recognition of Palestine and Israel and it has to be done through negotiation.

“It’s not a case of providing more arms to Israel to defeat Hamas. We have to recognise the terror that Hamas has inflicted on Israel and I would certainly hope that we can work towards a negotiated, peaceful settlement.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate Ross Stalker said: “The UK should not be arming Israel’s current far right government.

“I believe in the right of Israel to exist, but the government of Israel unfortunately is an extreme far right government.

“The facts on that are plain, there’s no denying it and we should not be arming a state like that.

“If Israel returns to its more progressive roots, then, yes, in the future.”

Labour’s candidate Martin McCluskey said his party would have to take on-board recent rulings from the International Court of Justice and look at the government’s legal advice before making a decision.

He said: “The stuff that’s come out of the ICJ recently I think we need to consider if we win the election as the government.

“We need to look at the legal advice then which comes from that, which we obviously aren’t privy to at the moment.

“I think it is dangerous for us to step outside the arms export controls, which obviously doesn’t just apply to Israel it applies to lots of other countries where the UK exports arms to.

“If we step out of that for one country, I think it sets a dangerous precedent for how we then apply that regime to other countries that we might be exporting arms to at the moment.”

Speaking after Mr McCluskey, SNP candidate Ronnie Cowan described his comments as ‘appeasement’ and stated that the supply of arms to Israel had to stop.

He said: “The SNP have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and we’ve been doing that since October 7.

“I’ve stood in solidarity with the people of Palestine for many years before that because this is not a new problem.

“Let’s be absolutely clear, I do not support Hamas in any way shape or form, they are murderers and the crimes they perpetrated were heinous crimes.

“I stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The innocent men, women and children who will become the next wave of immigrants that we have to deal with when they come here to avoid the death and destruction that’s been heaped upon them.

“There’s a time when you have to stand up, plant your feet firmly, and say we will do the right ethical and moral thing here, and that’s to stop the supply of arms to Israel and stop it now.”