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Scottish MP John Mason has been stripped of his position as party leader after “completely unacceptable” social media posts about the conflict in Gaza.
The move comes days after Foreign Affairs Minister Angus Robertson was pictured standing next to Israel's Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grodsky.
Several figures in the Scottish National Party have been highly critical of Israel's behaviour in the Middle East, and the diplomatic meeting has sparked a backlash within the party.
But in an article he wrote on the X website about Mr Mason, who represents Glasgow's Shettleston district, he said the country's actions in Gaza did not amount to “genocide”.
In response, a spokesman for the SNP leader said: “Ignoring the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable.”
“There can be no place in the SNP for this kind of bigotry.
“The party leader today withdrew the whip from MP John Mason with immediate effect, pending internal parliamentary group legal proceedings.”
The spokesman added that the SNP group would now meet to discuss the issue, recommending a suspension for a fixed period, due to what they described as a “deeply distasteful comment”.
The whip's withdrawal means Mr Mason has effectively been expelled from the SNP and must sit as an independent MP until the party is restored.
BBC Scotland News has contacted Mr Mason for comment.
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney on Wednesday defended the face-to-face meeting with Ms Grodzki.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were kidnapped.
Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
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