Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1535025
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 • 4 MAY 2025 A drone attack, Malta's vulnerability and Israel's genocide Editorial THE drone attack on the humanitarian vessel Conscience, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Co- alition, has exposed Malta's vulnerability to poten- tial threats by ill-meaning actors. Admittedly, Malta was not the intended target of the attack, which happened in international waters just outside territorial reach. Nonetheless, a civil- ian ship carrying pro-Palestine activists that was waiting to take humanitarian workers on board from Malta was sabotaged at Hurd's Bank. The ar- ea is a strategic bunkering zone regularly populat- ed by scores of cargo vessels, including oil tankers. Had the attack accidentally targeted an oil tank- er, or indeed, was directed to such a cargo vessel, Malta's east coast would have potentially suffered the catastrophic consequences of an oil spill. Not only would the tourism industry weep but water production at the Pembroke reverse osmosis plant would have had to stop. It would be a heavy blow to the economy and significantly impact our pota- ble water supply. The above scenario may be a hypothetical one. But Friday's drone attack should serve as a cau- tionary tale that neutrality is no deterrent for those who have no hesitation to carry out bad deeds, whoever they may be. Indeed, all it would take to deliver a crippling blow is for a handful of precision munition drones to target key infrastructure such as reverse osmo- sis plants and power plants. The attack simply underscores the importance of taking Malta's security and defence seriously— much more than it has until now by this adminis- tration. The prime minister's belittling of the EU plan to strengthen defence and security across the bloc feels immature and premature at this junc- ture. The brazen attack on the aid ship has ex- posed Malta's vulnerability. There needs to be a strategic review of the Armed Forces of Malta's defence capabilities to identify the gaps and determine how these could be filled. The AFM and other security agencies should be in a position to carry out proper surveillance of strategic sites and key infrastructure. It should be better equipped to anticipate threats, aggressive actions, terrorist activity and sabotage. It should be in a position to ward off belligerents and where this goes beyond Malta's limited capabilities be in a position to seek immediate assistance from Eu- ropean allies. Malta's defence and security should be a priority in the months and years to come. It would be a shame if the prime minister and his administration continue to treat defence as some sort of political whacking stick to hit out at the opposition rather than something to be dealt with in the most seri- ous way. If Friday's attack was carried out by an Israeli military drone as claimed by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition—a very plausible conclusion given the confirmed presence of an Israeli military aircraft circling over Hurd's Bank just hours before the at- tack—it would be the second time that Israel has carried out secretive operations to eliminate or harm its perceived foes in and around Malta. In October 1995, Palestinian Islamic Jihad lead- er Fathi Shqaqi was assassinated by Israeli Mos- sad agents in Sliema outside the Diplomat Hotel where he was residing. The agents drove by on a motorbike and gunned him down in broad day- light on the pavement before speeding off never to be caught. They gave two hoots about Malta's neutrality. It is true that the ship incident happened in inter- national waters thus outside Malta's jurisdiction but Israeli belligerence not only put the lives of activists and humanitarian aid workers at risk but also put Malta's interests at risk. A strongly-word- ed condemnation by the Maltese government is warranted. Breaking a cruel blockade The humanitarian ship was preparing to break through Israel's cruel blockade of Gaza to deliver crucial aid to Palestinians who are already living in a precarious state. Palestinians in Gaza have suffered a brutal 19-month war Israel has waged in the strip to avenge the 7 October attacks by Hamas. The impressive death toll in Gaza; the systematic destruction of public infrastructure; the constant targeting of hospitals by Israeli drones; the inces- sant orders for civilians to shift from one part of the territory to another, sometimes with barely enough notice to avoid bombs and missiles; the brutal Israeli military attacks on humanitarian aid workers and UN staff; the murder of innocent chil- dren; the political voices in Israel clamouring for Palestinians to be exiled from Gaza; are nothing more than an attempt at erasing the existence of Palestinians in Gaza. This has by far acceded Is- rael's legitimate actions to defend itself; what is now unfolding in front of our very own eyes is a genocide. Quote of the Week "The victim was in ashes." Forensic doctor Mario Scerri describing the state Daphne Caruana Galizia's dismembered body in the aftermath of the bomb explosion that killed her. He was testifying in the trail by jury of four men accused of involvement in the murders of Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chricop. MaltaToday 10 years ago American University submits courses ahead of development application 3 May 2015 • Prime Minister will meet angered eNGOs over Zonqor development • Marsaskala local council 'not consulted' • Architect reveals 'green plan' for new univer- sity THE American University for the south of Malta announced by the Prime Minister on May Day, has already submitted university courses for accredita- tion ahead of its planning application at Zonqor. They include courses in business administration, accounting, finance, graphic design and animation, game development, and computer science, with another 60 courses in the pipeline. Already environmental NGOs are raising con- cerns over the location for the €115 million Jorda- nian investment, somewhere next to Zonqor Point in Marsaskala, scheduled to cover 90,000 square metres of agricultural land, 90% of which is government-owned. Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday said that they agreed with the idea of a university in the south but disagreed with the location, an outsidedevelop- ment zone close to a belt of areas of ecological importance. Environmental groups contacted by MaltaToday also strongly voiced their displeasure. "The needs for development can be infinite, whether for the community or for speculation, but our open spaces and virgin land are not and soon the whole of Malta will be built up," Din l-Art Hel- wa president Simone Mizzi said. "While we welcome the setting up of an inter- nationally-renowned university in Malta, this is a small island and the few ODZs that remain need to be left unbuilt," Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar president Astrid Vella said. "The university should be built in an area that is in need of regeneration." "ODZs are important areas which should remain free of development," BirdLife Malta president Geoffrey Saliba said. "Furthermore, the south lacks open spaces as well as protected nature areas, mak- ing development of any such areas of social, as well as environmental concern." ...