A deafening Maltese and European silence

It is quite remarkable that the only European voice of condemnation for the attack on a Gaza-bound aid ship outside Maltese waters came from European Commissioner Glenn Micallef. 

“Humanitarian aid is vital for the people of Gaza to survive—especially for children. For two months now, children in the Gaza Strip have been deprived of essential goods, services and lifesaving care. Every attack on an aid transport, whether on land or at sea, is an attack on children. This is a blatant violation of international law, in stark contrast to our European values and contrary to basic humanity,” Micallef wrote on X on the evening of 2 May, hours after a clearer picture started to emerge of what had happened. 

But Micallef’s condemnation, unfortunately, remains until today, the only one to emerge from among Europe’s ruling elite. 

There were no words of condemnation from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas. It was left to Micallef to break the abject silence from the Brussels bubble. 

Micallef did well to speak up. He showed compassion in front of an increasingly precarious humanitarian situation that has been forced on the people of Gaza by Israel.  

Had this attack been directed at an aid ship heading to Ukraine, the story would have probably been a different one but it seems Palestinians are the children of a lesser god. 

But what is even more worrying is that not even the Maltese government has found the courage, days after the incident, to condemn an attack that also put Malta’s national security at risk. 

We understand the government adopting an initial cautious approach when faced with circumstances where the perpetrator is unknown and facts still have to be established. 

But as time passed by, certain facts started to emerge that point in one direction—the attack on the aid ship was very likely the work of the Israeli military. 

For, why would an Israeli military aircraft circle over Hurd’s Bank hours before the attack? What business did such an aircraft have of flying at low altitude over an area where the aid ship was anchored? Was this aircraft acting as a spotter plane to locate and identify the aid ship for subsequent targeting by loitering drones? 

Visual evidence suggests that the two blasts on the ship were external and very precise. The former deputy commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, Colonel David Attard, has told MaltaToday that the dynamics of the incident suggest some form of strike drones were used. 

Given these facts, the least the Maltese government could have done is call in the Israeli ambassador and demand an explanation. But we had none of this. Instead, the government has remained silent, let alone be a voice of conscience in the EU against Israeli aggression in Gaza and beyond. 

The silence creates space for justified speculation, especially when Prime Minister Robert Abela had been so vocal in criticising Metsola for her failure to call out Israel’s siege of Gaza a genocide. We would have expected Abela to be vocal in his condemnation of the attack on an aid vessel, more so when this also endangered national security. 

But no, silence remains the order of the day. In these circumstances, it is legitimate to ask whether the Maltese government is being held at ransom by Israel. 

If, on the other hand, Abela’s silence represents his interpretation of neutrality, it is a very blinkered interpretation, indeed. 

The Maltese government must take the lead and demand that the UN Security Council authorise an investigation into the incident so that the truth can be outed. The diplomatic capital Malta built over the past three years through its actions at the UNSC and as president of the OSCE could be put to good use. 

It’s not too late for Malta to raise its voice and take the lead in the EU and on the international stage by condemning the attack and calling for a UN investigation. It is in Malta’s national interest to do so in as much as it could be a show of tangible solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians.