This is something that is not documented in our historiography except in my books. Before the Malta Labour Party took a pro-Palestinian stance, its closest international ally was MAPAI (Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael or Workers’ Party of the Land of Israel) led by David Ben-Gurion, followed by the Israeli Labour Party led by Levi Eshkol, and eventually by Golda Meir.
In 1959, following its resignation from the government and its policy change for full independence, the Malta Labour Party began an international campaign of solidarity to seek political allies, financiers and donors. Throughout the 1960s, Dom Mintoff and his colleagues such as Joe Camilleri, Anton Butti?ie? and Agatha Barbara travelled to many different countries and conferences seeking help and the Malta Labour Party received support from many notable figures and leaders including Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia and even by EOKA’s George Grivas (Cyprus).
The Malta Labour Party also solicited support from socialist and Labour party organisations through the Socialist International and other international fora and its biggest supporter both in political support abroad and direct material help was none other but MAPAI who in the early 1960s funded most of the Malta Labour Party’s printing press that was inaugurated at its headquarters in Marsa in 1965 (recently demolished by Transport Malta to make way for road expansions). MAPAI also helped the MLP with financial contributions and political connections across Europe. The MLP was also backed by and funded by the Israeli Labour Party and Dom Mintoff even had lunch in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol in 1964 at a time when Mintoff was refused meetings by heads of state or government due to protocol given that Mintoff was just the leader of the opposition. Another major donor who helped contribute to the printing press was Germany’s SPD.
In the late 1960s, Mintoff started changing his position on Israel, a change marked by the result of the Six-Day War in 1967 when Israel occupied Gaza, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. Mintoff never repaid his Israeli friends with international political support, as eventually, his alliance with Arab states became more important for his foreign affairs strategy, until Gaddafi became his main foreign supporter.
You can read more about the history of the Malta Labour Party’s foreign relations in my book Il-?elsien (it’s in Maltese) available here.
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