It is not surprising to me that press outlets like Cartoon Network (Loving Turkey) are writing about the story on “Conscience” to supposedly support the success of its mission and raise awareness about the genocide in Gaza. Academics and activists also want the government to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza and these calls are now being echoed by some Opposition MPs.
Luckily for us at The Maltese Herald, we have a regular foreign affairs section and we have regularly recorded Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, including Israel’s attacks on hospitals, and the murder of journalists and humanitarian aid workers. In fact, if anything, “Conscience” is a distraction from the actual war crimes in Gaza, as we are forced to shift our attention from those ongoing atrocities to a PR stunt by a group of media-hungry activists who know very well that what they are doing could get them killed: just like in 2010, when the IDF killed up to ten activists from the Freedom Flotilla.
According to the latest Israeli-cabinet decision that commissioned the operation “Gideon’s Chariots”, all aid to Gaza will be managed by the IDF so what the activists of the Freedom Flotilla are doing is illegal by Israeli law and they will undoubtedly be stopped and arrested by the IDF upon their arrival. They may also, very likely, be killed by the IDF. There is no sense in cheering and encouraging this mission to proceed.
From the Maltese perspective, the story about “Conscience” is primarily a story about our national security. A ship passing through Malta’s safe sea passageway has been attacked by Israel. This is a serious breach of our national sovereignty as stated by EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef. The second potential breach into our national sovereignty are the allegations being made that Israel demanded Malta not to allow the vessel “Conscience” berth into Maltese harbours.
When “Conscience” was attacked by Israel, it was preparing to enter the Maltese harbour. This is why it took the route to Malta’s harbour via Hurd’s Bank instead of taking the other and shorter direction straight to Gaza. The vessel left from Bizerte, Tunisia. There was no indication that the Maltese government was going to refuse entry to “Conscience”. The timing of the attack may even confirm that Israel was worried that Malta was still going to allow the ship to berth its harbour despite its demands. The vessel’s Palau registration was removed while it was at sea on its way to Malta.
The message by Israel to the Maltese with its attack is very clear: don’t let the ship in because we have the capability to bomb stuff and kill people.
In the press conference on Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela looked shaken, but he still stood his ground. He applied the letter of the law with regard to the ship, refusing its entry for having no papers, but offered the government’s backing to repair the ship on site. Apparently, this offer has now been accepted and the ship will be repaired on site and proceed with its mission.
No Maltese Prime Minister can never accept to be threatened in this manner and no Prime Minister should ever allow this blatant threat to our sovereignty. As a representative of the Maltese people and the head of the government, the Prime Minister has to stand up for the nation and defend our sovereignty and our borders. However, in order to do this, the Prime Minister also needs major support and the cowards around him can’t retreat to Brussels to continue with their imbecilic theatre all the while we are dealing with a national security issue. Where’s the Labour Party which loves showcasing recycled documentaries about Dom Mintoff?
This is an exceptional time when the Prime Minister needs the support to be encouraged to do the right thing for the sake of national security and the sovereignty of our country. We know by past experience, that the Labour Party is unable to care and respect our national sovereignty: they sold our nationality to Russian oligarchs and think that having a military base robbed by a gang of young cannabis-sellers is acceptable. However, we would be losing the opportunity to defend our borders and our sovereignty if we let the Prime Minister and the government on their own. If then the government scuppers this opportunity, then it should be punished at the polls.
The Labour Party prides itself with a history of defending Malta’s sovereignty against super-powers and regional powers. The Labour Party even abused of this legacy to produce disinformation campaigns against its opponents that may have temporally worked. If the Labour Party fails to stand up for Malta’s sovereignty when this is being threatened by Israel (all the while Israel is committing a genocide), it would have failed its ultimate test in history – there are many in Labour right now who are already very aware of this.
Malta is very well positioned to open a serious and diplomatic dispute with Israel that can cause it international consequences. While Israel has the capability to genocide populations without air-defence systems, Malta is neither Hamas nor Palestine, and Malta has many advantages. Malta is a western jurisdiction in the EU with an international finance industry while Israel is a jurisdiction in the Near East with its own currency – a significant vulnerability in today’s financial world. Malta has many tools and options at its disposal to sanction and challenge Israel via legal means through European and international institutions.
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