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11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 AUGUST 2026 FEATURE absorb international pressure taken to dampen the tone not to turn off Israeli investment, especially in attracting corporations to base themselves here," he says. "In this sense it is very important to have a diversified economy which does not re- ly too much on any particular sector and thus making the country too vulnerable and subject to blackmail," Bartolo says. "We cannot afford to become a colony again." The flow of imports from Israel has also increased sharply over the past few years. In the first half of 2026, Israel recorded the largest absolute increase among Mal- ta's import sources, according to the Na- tional Statistics Office. Imports increased by €74.3 million compared with the same period of 2025. Israel also has had a no- table presence in sectors Malta actively seeks to attract, particularly fintech, dig- ital gaming, ICT and pharmaceuticals, making Israeli business ties potentially more significant than trade figures alone suggest. But Schembri also questions what is happening behind the scenes, insisting there may be many factors at play to ex- plain the Malta's foreign policy shift. "We lack the transparency to know what is really happening; we lack accountability on the lobbying which takes place since there are no mechanisms to ensure we get to know about it." Schembri sees the issue extending even to symbolic gestures Malta could be tak- ing to show opposition to Israel's oppres- sion of Palestinians such as withdrawing from the Eurovision Song Contest. The Conscience episode Schembri sees the 2025 drone attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel Con- science as the culmination of Malta's sub- missive attitude towards Israel. The vessel was damaged by an alleged drone attack in international waters close to Malta in May 2025. Malta's Armed Forces responded to the distress call, while the government subsequently re- fused the vessel entry into a Maltese port until security and cargo inspections were carried out. Schembri believes the diplomatic re- sponse should have gone further. "The culmination of Malta's submission to Israel was its failure to call the Israeli foreign minister for a dress down when drones attacked a ship just outside our shores… we have not even demanded an explanation," he says. The point is not that Malta should have immediately blamed Israel without in- vestigation. It is whether an incident in- volving a vessel attacked so close to Malta warranted a more assertive diplomatic response. Borg, Trump and the Fearne test Ian Borg's decision to nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last year became a particularly striking symbol of Malta's changing foreign policy tone. In October 2025, Borg announced he had nominated Trump, citing his role in facilitating peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and efforts to end conflicts. The move provoked controversy, includ- ing within Labour, with party President Alex Sciberras publicly distancing him- self from the nomination. Borg subsequently insisted the nomi- nation was made in his capacity as OSCE chair and denied it was an attempt to cur- ry favour with Washington. The episode nevertheless reinforced the impression among critics that Malta was increasingly eager to cultivate Trump's goodwill. A high-ranking foreign policy source replied to MaltaToday's question on this attitude by posing another ques- tion: "Is it wrong to be tactful and avoid provoking retribution?" Robert Abela's subsequent flirtation with Trump's proposed Board of Peace generated another controversy. Abela said Malta was considering join- ing the initiative before backing away following criticism over the implications of participating in a structure linked to Trump's approach to the Middle East. Against this backdrop, Chris Fearne's appointment as foreign minister initially kindled some hope of a more sober but principled foreign policy. Fearne had a different political profile, and his arrival offered an opportunity to reset the tone after what critics regarded as Borg's conspicuously accommodating approach towards Trump. That expectation is now being tested. Fearne has said he spoke "without holding back" to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and that Malta is pushing within the EU for further action. But Schembri asks what comes after the condemnations. "Foreign Minister Chris Fearne is saying that he is rallying other countries to issue yet another condemnation of Israel. Who are you kidding? Who needs more con- demnations. What we want is action." And another condemnation has now followed. On Tuesday, Malta joined an interna- tional statement condemning Israel's plans for the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, after initially being absent from the statement issued on 20 August. The statement warns that E1 would un- dermine the two-state solution by cutting through the West Bank and damaging Palestinian territorial continuity. Malta and Denmark were added as signato- ries six days after the original statement, which had been signed by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway before being expanded to in- clude a number of other countries. For Schembri, that illustrates precise- ly the problem: Condemnations can be politically significant, but their value is limited if Malta is unwilling to support measures that impose a cost on Israel. The EU contradiction Schembri sees Malta's position inside the EU as another example of what he considers "a loss of political backbone". "For decades the EU has issued count- less condemnations on Israel with re- gards to the illegal settlements and their expansion, attacks of settlers on civilians and other human rights abuses. But these September 2025 when Malta formally recognised the State of Prime Minister Dom Mintoff and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (left) during a meeting of the Socialist International in London in November 1973 Foreign Minister and later President Guido de Marco meeting Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat in the late 1990s CONTINUES NEXT PAGE>