Finally, recognising the country Israel wants to erase

Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela is not the Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The latter is not a known quantity here.

When I take my morning tea in a glass with sweetened milk and an abundance of white sugar and a pea cake at the bar next to our office in San Gwann, the topic is usually about football.

Gustavo Petro would be of interest if he was a centre forward with Arsenal or Juventus.

A sign in the bar warns customers not to discuss politics. And most respect that.

At dinner tables, the topic is usually about something mundane. Middle age crisis topics and nothing remotely close to what is happening in the world. Most of the conversations are intentionally light and amusing.

Gustavo Petro is a former M19 terrorist fighter turned politician, tortured by the Colombian army, elected to parliament, senator and now president. 

He is Colombia’s first left wing president, and he is a vocal critic of the drug cartels, a beacon for the poor and a fighter for equality in Colombian society. He is against inequalities and a campaigner for halting deforestation and seeking alternatives to fossil fuels. Yet, incredibly, because he is so politically charged, he is first and foremost a critic of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu on the Gaza genocide.

Now, I do not expect Robert Abela to emulate Petro. Petro is not a virginal character, but the guy has vision and balls.

The closest any Maltese politician has come to Petro was former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff. And with all his faults and authoritarian streak, you have to admit that Mintoff had notions and concepts, which were theoretically honourable. He talked of a denuclearised Mediterranean Sea and a neutral Malta and defied openly both Russia (then the Soviet Union) and the US in international fora.

Maltese prime ministers since have not shone like some crazy diamond. They have gone with the flow. They have followed what other countries have decided. Mintoff for all his eccentric politics put Malta on the map.

This brings me to Robert Abela. Last week at the UN General Assembly in New York, he decided to show courage and speak tough about Ukraine and Gaza. His discourse about Ukraine came soon after Trump’s U- turn following a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Abela even went on to speak directly about Crimea and how this Russian-occupied region’s return to Ukraine is non-negotiable.

It was a complete change of heart for Abela, who only six months earlier was arguing on the need for Ukraine to compromise.

And on Gaza, he finally decided to follow France and the UK and officially recognise the Palestinian State.

Though I am not advocating that Abela becomes a Gustavo Petro, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being tough on Israel about their abhorrent treatment of the Palestinian people and their decision to destroy and kill a people and their ability to survive.

This is beyond any complicated understanding or thinking. Netanyahu is not an extremist but a criminal and should be treated as such. Malta needs to stand out and show its mettle.

We can do this only by being vocal. So far, we have only been following others rather than adopting a proactive approach. Normal Maltese folk will welcome their government being more resolute and clearer about Israel.

Maltese in their vast majority abhor the way Israel acts, so Abela should have no problem showing that Malta is not simply following the rest.

And I think that one action that would have stood out, could have been our decision to pull out of the Eurovision if Israel is still allowed to participate. Unlike Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and others, Malta is geographically and culturally more prone to the excesses of Israel’s genocidal madness than any other country.

We cannot argue that the Eurovision is about music and friendship and excuse Israel, or ignore the fact that Israel considers this music event as an opportunity to give it credence and respectability in the world.

In time you gain respect for taking a stand and speaking out when others do not.

So, I applaud Robert Abela’s stern stand against Israel and Russia. I also think that we have convergence between the two main political parties on this is positive.

Taking a brave stand on Palestine will earn us the respect of Arab countries that have never seen Malta as a threat but as a gentle small sister. It is with this kind of appreciation that countries will support Malta’s proposal to serve as a bridge between the two sides.

Israel has lost all respect for humanity and dignity. It does not consider the Palestinians to be a people. It does not recognise that the Palestinians have a right to a home. It has no interest in peace.

This is the time for Europe and the world—except for Donald Trump and his United States—to stand together for what is right. And as we know, nothing beats the recklessness and mediocrity of Trump who dishes out policy statements that are unexpected and which lead to the suffering of thousands of people worldwide only to twist and turn multiple times.

Which is why it is so refreshing to see the prime minister of my country finally say the right things. It is good to see that he is reflecting the feelings of most Maltese and Gozitans about the two wars and the suffering imposed on Ukrainians and Palestinians.