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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 • 25 MAY 2025 Malta is wrong to hesitate in recognising the Palestinian state Editorial FROM Dom Mintoff's invitation to the Palestinians to open an office in Malta in 1974 to Guido de Mar- co's gesture to visit Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan on his first overseas trip as president of the UN General Assembly in 1991, and George Vella's efforts to bring Palestinian lead- er Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Da- vid Levy together during the Euro-Mediterranean Conference held in Malta in 1997, Malta has always supported the Palestinian cause for statehood. Indeed, in 1988, Malta's Permanent Represent- ative at the United Nations in New York, Alexan- der Borg Olivier, presented a letter to the organ- isation's secretary general in which the Maltese Government affirmed its "recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own". And since 2009, Malta has had a repre- sentative office in the Palestinian-administered Ramallah in the West Bank. The commitment to the Palestinian cause has been unwavering across different admin- istrations and is one of the few issues where cross-party support has endured. Robert Abela's administration is also commit- ted to this cause with Malta having brokered the first UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages held by Hamas and the provision of humanitarian aid. The current administration has also allowed in- jured children from Gaza to be brought over to Malta with their families for medical treatment and Abela recently joined other leaders in calling on Israel to 'immediately' lift the Gaza blockade. It is within this context that the Maltese gov- ernment's reluctance so far to recognise the Pal- estinian state baffles us. Ever since Abela committed the country last year to recognising a Palestinian state we keep getting the vague reply that this will happen "when the conditions are ripe". We are never told what these conditions are; what Malta is ex- pecting to see before it can take the next logical step in its foreign policy. In the latest pronouncement on this issue, Ab- ela told the Maltese parliament that develop- ments in this regard can be expected in June. Once again, we were not told what these devel- opments will be. It is as if Malta does not want to be a leader in Europe on this issue, unlike Spain and Ireland that forged ahead with recognising the Palestin- ian state last year. The Abela administration ap- pears more interested in following others, who- ever these others may be. Meanwhile, the prime minister appeared miffed at the questions put to him by Opposition Lead- er Bernard Grech and other Nationalist MPs over this issue. The questions were measured, non-partisan and reasonable as MPs sought an- swers on the reasons for government's hesitation on the issue. And yet, Abela's reply was unstates- manlike—instead of embracing the cross-party support for the Palestinian cause and explaining what the stumbling blocks are, he hit out at Rob- erta Metsola for visiting Israel shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Unfortunately, Abela could not resist taking a dig at the opposition, insisting his government would be doing more for the Palestinian cause than any other administration. It was a pathetic display of partisan politics and personal rivalry getting in the way of statesmanship. It is a pity that he scorned the opportunity to understand, embrace and explain. Malta's recognition of a Palestinian state will not change the course of history in the Middle East but it will be a significant gesture of solidar- ity with the Palestinians. By recognising a Palestinian state, Malta will not be endorsing terrorism, or the murderous actions of Hamas, as Israel suggests. It is neither the negation of Israel's right to enjoy peace and security. On the contrary, it is an act of good- will that recognises the Palestinian people's right to live free in a prosperous, peaceful and viable state. Difficult as the circumstances are today, the two-state solution remains the only viable solu- tion in the long term. This is the message Malta has always put for- ward in international forums and one which it must continue pressing on. At the same time, Israel's unrelenting mili- tary aggression in Gaza and its cruel aid block- ade must be condemned in no uncertain terms. What we are witnessing is the annihilation of two million people, one drone attack at a time; one bullet at a time; one destroyed hospital at a time; one crippled aid truck at a time. This is not self-defence; this is genocide. Quote of the Week "We are talking about a government that is not confessional. Our government is not a catholic government for catholics, it is for all citizens." Fr Colin Apap during an interview on F Living in which he hinted his agreement with government's proposal to give people diagnosed with a terminal illness and given just six months to live, the right to choose assisted euthanasia. MaltaToday 10 years ago Waiver exonerates Skanska 24 May 2025 Mater Dei contract includes waiver for Skan- ska and Maltese partners • Former minister John Dalli says both sides 'reached overall agreement to wash out claims' IT could be next to impossible for the gov- ernment to recover any damages for the scan- dal- ous shortcomings in the quality of cement used in constructing Malta's state-of-the-art Mater Dei Hospital which has been found to be severely deficient in safety. At least €30 million will have to be spent to make the hospital safe, according to interna- tional consultants who spoke to the health ministry. But the crux of the problem facing the gov- ernment is that on 19 February, 2009, the Foun- dation for Medi- cal Services signed away on a contract any claims or disputes that could be raised against Swedish construc- tion gi- ant Skanska – which built Mater Dei – as well as local and foreign architects and engineers, cement suppliers, and logistical ser- vice companies for faulty or defective works at the hospital. An inside source who spoke to MaltaToday claimed that the exoneration by the Founda- tion for Medical Services effectively made it very difficult for the gov- ernment to seek any compensa- tion or to hold anyone responsi- ble for negligence. Details of the contract surfaced only now, coinciding with news of faulty cement quality at the hospital, that could have saved suppliers some €40 million.