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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 NOVEMBER 2023 'What will you do?' Editorial THE adoption last Wednesday by the United Nations Security Council of a resolution calling for "extended humanitarian pauses" in Gaza is a victory for Maltese diplomacy. Navigating the muddied waters of international poli- tics is never an easy task, all the more when dealing with the complexities of the Middle East. It is true that the resolution championed by Malta went for the lowest common denominator and focussed humanitarian issues with a particular focus on children. The adopted text avoids the politically contentious stuff – it does not condemn 7 October Hamas attacks on Isra- el and neither does it condemn Israeli aggression against civilians in Gaza. It does not call for a ceasefire. But in circumstances where four previous resolutions were defeated, achieving the lowest common denomina- tor was always going to be a feat in itself. Malta's efforts were praised by fellow members on the UNSC, notably the US and Japan, for drafting a text that achieved bal- ance. The Maltese diplomatic effort at the UN, led by am- bassador Vanessa Frazier, should be commended. It is arguably as significant as Guido de Marco's presidency of the UN general assembly between 1990 and 1991 when he did not shy away from putting focus on the Palestini- an issue by visiting refugee camps in the occupied terri- tories, including the Gaza Strip. Today, Foreign Minister Ian Borg, unlikely as it may have seemed when he was given the foreign affairs port- folio after the last election, has ensured that Malta is put- ting its membership of the Security Council to good and effective use. He ended up in hot water locally over the driving test scandal at Transport Malta that happened on his watch when he was transport minister but in foreign relations he has distinguished himself. It was important to get the UNSC, the UN's highest decision-making body, to formally pronounce itself on the ongoing Gaza conflict, more than 40 days after the 7 October attacks. Even if the resolution on its own will do little to materially change the situation on the ground for Palestinians in Gaza, it is nonetheless important from a moral and legal standpoint. Israel was prompt to pour cold water on the resolu- tion, insisting it will not abide by it. This reaction did not come as a surprise because Israel has been ignoring UN Security Council resolutions – which are legally binding – for decades. And it has done so with impunity because it enjoys the US's unconditional backing. Within this context, the question posed by the Pales- tinian ambassador to members of the Security Council shortly after the vote, was a haunting reminder of Israel's behaviour over more than seven decades: "As we speak, Israel has rejected the resolution. What will you do?" He did not get an answer. The probability is that nothing will be done to enforce the resolution. The truth is that only the US has the clout to bring enough diplomatic pressure to bear on Israel to condition its behaviour. And while the EU has little clout in Israel, its position, if it can agree on one, can help condition how the US acts. Nonetheless, having a UN resolution to back up ar- guments in favour of humanitarian pauses or a ceasefire is always better than having nothing. At the very least it provides a reference point that goes beyond the narrow confines of what individual countries believe should happen. It is also significant that the US did not use its veto thus signalling a shift, even if only slightly, in its uncondi- tional support for Israel's actions in Gaza to date. In comments after the vote, Frazier was under no illusion at the difficulties that remain. She insisted the resolution was only a first step, describing it "a drop in the ocean" of what needs to be done. But she also said it offered a glimmer of hope. The scenes from Al Shifa Hospital of premature babies huddled on a bed because there is no electricity to op- erate incubators touched hearts and minds around the world. Israel cannot continue ignoring the growing voices condemning or expressing grave concern over its relent- less military campaign in Gaza that is bringing untold misery to millions of ordinary Palestinians. This leader reiterates that what Hamas did on 7 Octo- ber was atrocious and had nothing to do with the strug- gle for liberation. Hamas damaged the Palestinian cause through its despicable actions. No young person should expect to be massacred while attending a rave party. No elderly person in the quiet of their home should expect to be dragged by the hair at gunpoint and killed in cold blood. What Hamas did was plain evil and underpins their ideology that Israel has no right to exist. Israel has a right to defend itself and its military actions are justified insofar as they target Hamas militants and their control and command structures. Israel also has the duty to protect its citizens from the rockets launched by Hamas. But what we have been witnessing over the past 40 days is the wholesale destruction of Palestinian neigh- bourhoods, schools and hospitals. We have been wit- nessing the death of civilians most of who were buried alive beneath the rubble of their bombed houses. We have been witnessing an exercise in collective punish- ment whereby people have been denied food, water and medical supplies. We have witnessed doctors reverting to medieval ways of operating on patients as hospital supplies run out and electricity is disrupted because fuel has finished. We have witnessed a hospital becoming a theatre of war and aid workers employed by the UN and the Red Cross die as a result of Israeli bombardments. Israel's military action has gone way beyond its legiti- mate remit and has been hurting ordinary civilians in a disproportionate way, especially children. This madness must stop. At the same time, Hamas must release all the hostages it is holding and desist from launching more rockets into Israel in a show of childish bravado at a time when ordinary Palestinians are being made to pay the price in blood for their attacks. Indeed, Hamas must lay down its arms. But the real solution to the perennial conflict in the Middle East is a negotiated political settlement that sees Palestinians getting their own viable and independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with security guaran- tees for Israel. Unfortunately, the conditions today may not be ripe for a political dialogue to take place but at the very basic it is important that the fighting stops so that crucial hu- manitarian aid is allowed to reach Gaza's long suffering residents, especially children. Quote of the Week "We do not want a paternalistic political class, where justice is only served by political intervention as though they are doing the public a favour." Graffitti member Marie Claire Gatt during a victory protest in Mosta after activists and residents forced the local council to withdraw its decision to relocate 12 Ficus trees from the main square. MaltaToday 10 years ago 19 November 2012 PM supports embryo freezing ban, 'values are part of Malta's DNA' PRIME Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that moral values formed part of the country's DNA as he addressed the debate over the Embryo Protection Bill, reiterating that the primary aim of the bill was to protect the em- bryo. "I know that it took us years to arrive where we are today. But during these years we listened to consultants, followed the technology and held discussions with all stakeholders. Because above all, we always wanted to protect the em- bryo," he said. Both government and opposition have en- dorsed the banning of embryo freezing. The Prime Minister said that oocyte vitrification was the answer to this moral dilemma. "Protecting the embryo represents who we are, our values. We respect human life: we believe in protecting life from the very begin- ning, even before the birth of the baby," he said. "These values are part of our country's DNA." Gonzi said he was satisfied that the bill was not subject to controversy by both sides of the House. "As legislators, we have the duty to see that the correct laws are applied. As govern- ment we have the duty to see that everyone is given the right to build a family," Gonzi said. He added that it was unfair that there were couples who couldn't have children because they didn't afford to pay for the treatment. "As government we have the duty to provide for them as well. We won't hinder the work carried it out by the private sector, but at the same time we cannot abandon these families." Gonzi said that the bill's aim was to regulate issues which today weren't regulated. "For example, there is nothing in the Maltese law that stops cloning today. With this law, this will become illegal, just like it will become illegal to use embryos for experimentation or making use of surrogate mothers," he said. The prime minister conceded that the five- man committee that will regulate recipients of IVF shouldn't act as a big brother. "While I agree that this authority should do away with exces- sive red tape and shouldn't over regulate, yet we shouldn't allow any leniency that could either endanger the mother or the baby," he said.