A voice in the wilderness

Carmelo Vassallo has earned a reputation for being outspoken. Daring to offer an alternative view to the Mid-East conflict has incurred the wrath of the pro-Palestine lobby, as both sides appear to be increasingly colour-blind to grey.

Interview by ZILLAH BUGEJA
Photo by Pippa Zammit Cutajar

With his trademark salt and pepper beard and black polo neck, Dr Carmelo Vassallo stands out in any crowd. Of late, he has been somewhat black-balled for having presumed pro-Israel leanings.

Well-known for being vociferous at the best of times, Dr Vassallo is quick to point out that his so-called pro-Israel stance only came about as an attempt to redress what he deems to be an excessively blinkered anti-Israel sentiment. He is playing the devil’s advocate, not the devil incarnate.

In an article in the Times of Malta of 8 April, Dr Vassallo wrote against the Xarabank programme aired on Good Friday which had a self-declared bias in favour of the Palestinian cause. He feels that, as journalists, they had a duty to show both sides of the picture.

Dr Vassallo’s critique of the programme has itself evoked a mostly negative reaction from the general public, including fellow academics, which seems to stem from the black-and white attitude we have here even in the way we tend to interpret people’s actions. If he is speaking in this way, he must be anti-Palestine – how dare he?

Why is the co-ordinator of Hispanic Studies at the University of Malta, normally better known for his off-duty hours revelling in bars and discos, suddenly taking on the role of spokesperson for Israel in Malta? Apart from being Hispanic Studies Co-Ordinator at the Mediterranean Institute, Dr Vassallo has also published extensively on economic history and trade, and is the convenor and prime mover behind the Mediterranean Maritime History Network.

"The fact of the matter is that it is not a role I have actively sought. It is only the growing feeling that we were being subject to too lopsided a perception of Israel that has convinced me that we needed to listen more to the two sides. How come one side is being completely demonised and the other is held to be the supreme repository of virtue? Both sides have committed excesses. I feel that the Sharon administration’s actions against the terrorist infrastructure may buy short-term respite but in the longer term it is only sowing the seeds for more terror. For every terrorist eliminated in Jenin, there will be 10 others – brothers, fathers, cousins prepared to take up the dead man’s rifle. At the same time I am increasingly convinced that Arafat is guilty of duplicity. Under Oslo, Israel gave up occupied land in return for Arafat’s promise to prevent attacks from it. As The Economist put it last week, he has pocketed what Oslo gave him and re-launched a liberation war and to get what he wants. He is prepared to sacrifice a million martys."

Dr Vassallo is also shocked by the outcome of last Saturday’s protest march. Instead of living up to its claims of being a march for peace, it developed into an anti-Israel march. "A peace protest should call for a stop to violence from both sides, both military incursions and the suicide bombings."

A similar situation arose during a so-called peace protest on campus just over a year ago, indeed it was this incident that prompted Dr Vassallo to initiate a credit on Contemporary Israel. "I had to re-tool, I was out of touch. The Israel I had spent some time in 30 something years ago was a very different nation to that which we find today, and not all changes have been for the better."

Why does he think the Maltese have gravitated towards a pro Palestine stance? "I believe a lot has to do with Mintoff’s time – we were the first non-aligned country to give Palestine recognition. The president has been quoted as saying that we empathise with their experience because we too had never really known independence.

"It’s a credit that we are supportive of them, but we must also apportion blame. The guilt is not all on one side. How people can destroy each other like this is mind boggling. I like to think there is still hope for peace."

Dr Vassallo is also concerned about the way a pro-Palestine stance will be perceived by foreigners. "In my opinion, President de Marco, Dr Fenech Adami and Dr Alfred Sant were wrong to have accepted to wear the Kefiyah [the Palestinian black and white scarf] last Saturday. Nowhere else in Europe have leaders allowed themselves to be drawn in, in such a manner. When the president takes on a posture that identifies us with one side, his action verges on the irresponsible. He recently even practically acted as a spokesperson for Arafat and relayed the latter’s accusations of genocide against Israel. Has anyone checked what that word means, in a dictionary? Has anybody bothered to point out to the President that Israel’s Arab population has increased more than seven-fold in the last 50 years as a consequence of improved sanitation, good medical facilities and other attributes of the state of Israel. Is that the stuff of genocide Mr President? Does the President still expect to be considered a valid mediator between the two sides?

"I believe it is in our nation’s interests to keep some distance. A picture is worth a thousand words – tourists aren’t bothered about reading the details. In many Arab countries tourism is dead. Is that how we want to end up? People from Europe have a thing about the Arabs, as we do. Let’s not deny it. With foreigners I have often had to explain that we were not being swallowed up by Libya.

"There is much talk about Malta being at the crossroads of Europe and Africa, that we want to act as a go-between for the Maghreb and Europe. But how does this translate into reality? In the May 2001 session of the SEC exams the number of students who sat for Italian, French, German, Spanish and Arabic were 3015, 2172, 327, 265 and six respectively. Who do we think we are fooling?

"We are a peaceful people and want to stay that way. Malta must accept its responsibility too. We can follow the line of the EU but let’s not be perceived as being hand in glove with one of the sides.

"I just do not accept the demonisation of any one side. I must admit that the more I have got into it and read, the closer I have moved to the Israeli position."

Even his family has exerted pressure on him to keep his head low on the Middle East crisis. Traditionally he is seen to have a progressive left leaning, with a father who is still secretary of the Communist Party.

"This isn’t making me any friends and even friends have reacted negatively to me, thinking that I am, somehow, not being true to my normal inclinations. But should all we do be determined by the pursuit of popularity…?"