Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526771
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 SEPTEMBER 2024 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Labour MEPs join call for war crimes sanctions on Israeli far-right ministers In response to the Government's request to amend Class 16 (Schedule III) of the Development Notification Order 2016, the Planning Authority has released a draft amendment for public consultation. The proposed amendment will facilitate expansion projects for major manufacturing enterprises located in the INDIS Estate of Kirkop which require a building height above the current DNO allowable height of 15m. Prior approval from the authority responsible for Civil Aviation is already a requirement in proviso (i)(e) of Class 16 and shall also be applicable to this site. The proposed amendments can be reviewed on the Planning Authority's website; www.pa.org.mt/consultation. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to submit their feedback on these proposed amendments in writing via email to: dno.amendments@pa.org.mt All submissions must reach the Authority no later than the 27th September, 2024. www.pa.org.mt PLANNING AUTHORITY HAVE YOUR SAY OPEN PUBLIC CONSULTATION AMENDMENTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT NOTIFICATION ORDER MALTA'S Labour MEPs have added their names to a group of 76 European parliamentarians requesting the European Com- mission to issue sanctions for war crimes against Israeli minis- ters, accusing them of genocidal acts in Gaza. They have called for sanctions against far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers Bezalel Yoel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, and said the EU had yet to collectively acknowledge, denounce, and adopt appropriate measures to address Israeli war crimes and other international humanitari- an law violations. Since 7 October, over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, and Gaza largely reduced to rub- ble, 75% of the small enclave's buildings destroyed, including all hospitals, which are now non-functional. The people of Gaza have en- dured nine months without ac- cess to electricity, clean water and functioning sewerage sys- tems, as well as starvation and a health crisis. The violence against Palestinian people has al- so spread unabated to the West Bank, condoned in some regard by extremist ministers in the Is- raeli cabinet. Labour MEPs Alex Agius Sal- iba, Daniel Attard and Thomas Bajada were among the 76 signa- tories of the letter. No National- ist MEP was present among the names, and only one EPP mem- ber, Irish MEP Maria Walsh, signed the letter. In a letter to EC president Ur- sula von der Leyen, the MEPs called for an extension of sanc- tions to the current Israeli gov- ernment, in particular far-right finance minister Bezalel Yoel Smotrich, who is the leader of the National Religious Party– Religious Zionism, and the far- right minister for national secu- rity Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is the leader of Otzma Yehudit, a Kah- anist and anti-Arab party widely regarded as the most right-wing government in Israel's history. "Smotrich and Ben Gvir repre- sent a clear and determined bar- rier to peace, and should be held to account for their role in incit- ing war crimes, genocidal acts, as well as providing material and financial support to the illegal settlements and Israel settlers," the MEPs said. "The European Union must act against individuals in the Israeli leadership whose actions con- tinue to inflame hatred and vi- olence, and undermine stability in the region, without any con- sequences either internally or externally." The MEPs welcomed the state- ments made by Von der Leyen condemning Smotrich's an- nouncement of five new illegal settlements, and Ben Gvir's call for the mass forcible transfer of Gaza's population. "However, it is clear that state- ments alone are insufficient when compared to the gravity of the two Ministers' actions and words. We are therefore writing to express the need for immedi- ate restrictive measures against Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir, including the freezing of assets, and a prohibition on the provision of funds or economic resources to them or their Min- istries, directly or indirectly." The MEPs also called for travel bans across the European Union for the two ministers. A recently adopted ICJ advi- sory opinion, where the Court takes the view that Israel's con- tinued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPt) is unlawful, obliges the state to an end its unlawful presence in the OPt as rapidly as possible, in- cluding by ceasing immediately all new settlement activities. The MEPs said that all States and international organisations were obliged to sanction entities, agencies or institutions respon- sible for the illegal expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. "It is our collective and moral duty to act and to speak out," they said. The letter was signed by 26 MEPs from the S&D, 24 MEPs from the Left, 18 Green MEPs, 7 Renew MEPs and 1 EPP mem- ber. The majority were Italian (19) and French (14) as well as Irish (7) and Spanish (7). MEPs call for sanctions against far-right finance minister Bezalel Yoel Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir Far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir