Speaker discusses Middle East tensions with Palestinian Ambassador

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Anġlu Farrugia, had a courtesy call from the Palestinian Ambassador, Fadi Hanania. Both dignitaries discussed the developing tensions in the Middle East.

The Speaker reviewed the latest events in the Middle East, focusing on the present state of affairs between Israel and Hamas, making reference to the civilian casualties as a result of the conflict. Farrugia also discussed the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza's civilians and urged the international community to step up its efforts to guarantee that the civilian population receives adequate aid as soon as feasible. 

Dr. Farrugia voiced his concerns, noting that the fighting might spread to Iraq, Syria, the West Bank, and Lebanon, among other nations. This, he said, can be avoided through structured dialogue which could prevent detrimental effects to the wider region.

The Speaker also mentioned Malta's worries about the misinformation spreading on social media throughout the Gaza conflict and emphasised the need to address misinformation and information manipulation in order to prevent the risk of polarisation and conflict escalation, which could encourage the emergence of terrorist acts outside of the Middle East.

Farrugia stressed that, in accordance with the pertinent resolutions of the UN Security Council, the only way to achieve peace is to achieve a just and comprehensive resolution to the conflict that addresses the legitimate concerns and aspirations of both sides and declares violence to be unacceptable.