Foreign ministry: Malta working towards arrving at consensual text on Gaza ceasefire at UN security council

Updated at 7pm with Foreign Ministry reply 

Malta is working towards arriving at consensual text, agreeable to both the elected and permanent members of the UN Security Council to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the foreign ministry has said.

“Since 7 October, Malta has been in close and continuous coordination with the members of the Security Council on attempts to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region,” the ministry said in reply to a letter by activists.

Activists have written to the Prime Minister demanding that Malta, as a member of the UN Security Council, presents a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.

The open letter is accompanied by over 350 signatures from private citizens, members of the Palestinian community in Malta, artists and academics. Labour MEPs Alex Agius Saliba and Cyrus Engerer, and Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg are among the signatories.

“Following four failed attempts by the Security Council at adopting a resolution, on 25th October the Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations delivered a statement on behalf of the ten elected members (the E10) of the Security Council,” the ministry said.  

“In that statement, Her Excellency Ambassador Vanessa Frazier emphasised that the Security Council has the duty and obligation to act and to urgently, and genuinely, address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Pursuant to this obligation, Her Excellency Ambassador Frazier announced Malta’s novel initiative to coordinate an E10 draft resolution on the humanitarian situation in the Middle East.”

Since then, the ministry said Malta has been working tirelessly to arrive at a consensual text, agreeable to both the Elected and Permanent members, which it hopes the Security Council will be able to action in the coming days

“We sincerely thank you for your letter. It is reflective of many of our national concerns and will provide valuable moral support to our Permanent Mission in New York and to the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, for the diplomatic work they are carrying out on this initiative,” the reply said.

The activists have referred to recent statements by UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierres highlighting the “56 years of suffocating occupation” suffered by the Palestinian people, who are now suffering collective punishment for Hamas’ attacks.

“Whilst Malta is militarily non-aligned, it cannot remain morally neutral: faced with the realities of the Palestinian population, our country cannot remain silent,” the activists said.

Below are the actvitists’ demands:

·        Call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire

·        Take the initiative and condemn the attacks on innocent civilians and the breaches of international law, in the same decisive manner with which the attacks of the 7 October were condemned

·        Accelerate the efforts for the opening of a safe humanitarian corridor between Gaza and Egypt, so that the population can receive the aid it requires, and to ensure the safe passage of those forced to escape

·        Call for an investigation in the war crimes that are being perpetuated, and for UN inspectors to visit Gaza

·        Foster dialogue for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state, protected by the international laws and community, so that both states can try and live together in peace.

The full letter can be read here, and signatures are being collected here.