WATCH | MPs handed letters urging trade restrictions on Israel

Activists gave letters to MPs as they arrived at parliament on Monday afternoon, urging the government to introduce an arms embargo and impose trade restrictions on Israel.

The protestors gathered in Valletta before the start of the first parliamentary sitting after the summer break.

Ġustizzja għall-Palestina and 21 other organisations want an immediate ban on military exports to Israel, as well as broader restrictions on trade.

Organisers criticised what they described as Malta’s insufficient efforts to address Israel’s actions in Palestine.

They also asked the government to carry out due diligence within government departments and among companies based in Malta, with the objective of limiting commercial relations with Israel.

Moussa Hammoud from The Lebanese Advocates said Malta should translate its stated commitment to human rights into concrete measures.

He called for a ban on trade involving products from Israeli settlements that are considered illegal under international law. Hammoud also referred to the human rights provisions contained in the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Hammoud also referred to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, mentioning occupation, military strikes and incursions, which he said had resulted in the displacement of entire communities.

Palestinian Ambassador to Malta Fadi Hanania said Palestinians were expecting the Maltese government to take action.

Hanania said he had travelled to the West Bank twice during the summer, where he said he had witnessed violence carried out by Israeli settlers.

While thanking Prime Minister Robert Abela for his public statements concerning Palestine, Hanania said these statements should now be followed by practical measures. 

According to Hanania, Israeli settlers in the West Bank had become increasingly land grabs. 

The organisations also referred to rulings issued by the International Court of Justice in 2024 and urged Malta to respond to what they described as genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation by Israel.

The letter was endorsed by 22 NGOs, including Moviment Graffitti, ADPD, Friends of the Earth Malta, PEN, The Lebanese Advocates, Momentum, Humanists Malta and the General Workers’ Union.