Israeli soldiers given ‘suspended sentence’ for Bianca Zammit shooting

By a MaltaToday correspondent

Borg told MaltaToday that Israeli foreign ministry officials informed him verbally that two Israeli soldiers were found guilty of going against superiors’ orders, although the orders themselves were not made known to the ministers, nor were the soldiers’ ranks.

“I was told the investigation was concluded and that two soldiers were found guilty of breaching orders,” Borg said yesterday while on a visit to the Gaza Strip. “We await the results of the investigations so that we can follow up on them.”

Zammit, 28, was shot in her leg by Israeli soldiers during a peaceful demonstration accompanying Palestinian farmers on their fields in Gaza bordering with Israel last April.

Reacting to the sentencing, Zammit said that it is yet unclear and “very ambiguous” as to what exactly the two soldiers were actually found guilty of.

“My fear is that they were only found guilty of shooting at a foreigner,” she said.

“The whole point of the demonstration was to protest against how ordinary Palestinians cannot venture into the buffer zone without facing a real and imminent threat on their lives,” she said.

Had the soldiers been found guilty of shooting a non-Palestinian in the buffer zone, Zammit said it would hardly affect the standing ‘policy’ that the demonstration was protesting against.

Referring to a policy that ‘allows’ Israeli soldiers to shoot at Palestinians inside the buffer zone between the Gaza-Israel border, Zammit said that “what we are working towards is the end of this policy that goes against international law and infringes on fundamental human rights.”

But unless action is taken, she warned, the shootings will go on unabated. “Only last week, two minors were shot at and injured.”

Zammit said she is eagerly awaiting more information on the sentencing – “the whole point of this investigation is to show what is happening inside the buffer zone.”

Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman had said he was “sorry”and described the incident as a “terrible event” after the Israeli ambassador to Malta had claimed Zammit was “used” by terrorists.

Hours after Zammit was shot, an Israeli army spokesman had mistakenly identified Zammit as Palestinian, raising questions whether the orders referred to the minister may have been to avoid foreigners while shooting at Palestinians.

Gazan farmers are being shot at up to 1,500 metres from the Israeli border while fishermen are allowed less than 3 nautical miles at sea under threat of gunfire.

Borg in Gaza: blockade needs to be lifted, Gonzi to visit in March

Malta’s Foreign Minister Tonio Borg called for a total lifting of the blockade of Gaza and pledged increasing Malta’s aid to the UN agency in charge of refugees.

Speaking at the end of a three day visit in Occupied Palestine and Israel that ended with his first visit to Gaza as foreign minister, Borg expressed his frustration at the international community’s inability to spend the $4.5 billion pledged for the enclave’s reconstruction after Israel’s 22-day offensive that left 1,400 Palestinians dead and thousands of houses and civilian infrastructure destroyed two years ago.

“The situation in Gaza is a man-made disaster – it’s not like an earthquake or tsunami- it’s the result of a political decision,” Borg said. “What happened since Israel’s flotilla tragedy was ‘adjustment’ rather than easing of the situation, which is why foreign ministers need to visit. The blockade needs to be lifted.”

Borg also announced that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi will be visiting the Occupied Palestine and Israel next March, adding that getting foreign politicians to visit Gaza is a good step towards getting them to understand the situation in Gaza.

The minister visited a wastewater treatment plant financed by European Union funding and met fishermen in Gaza harbour.

“I was impressed by the resilience of these people who live and work in what is a continuous war zone,” he said.

Borg is the fourth European foreign minister to visit the Gaza Strip this year, and his second in as many years to Occupied Palestine and Israel. A rapporteur on the UN Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinians, Borg said Malta was “very pro-Palestinian human rights” and had no intention to quit from the UN body “even if some are not happy about it ... if anything we feel we are a moderating influence”.

Borg also met Maltese citizens living in Gaza and Palestinians who graduated from the University of Malta’s Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in 2000.

“I hope Malta is always in your dreams and thoughts,” Borg told the graduates.

Following a meetings with Gaza businessmen, Borg told journalists how despite Israel’s promises to ease the blockade, the enclave’s economy remains crippled.

“Sometimes EU punches below its weight rather than above, but it’s a good step it has realised Gaza needs a lifting not easing of the siege,” Borg said, adding that he will be pushing the Palestinian question with northern European states over the next year in which two Baltic states will be holding the EU presidency.

“For us Mediterraneans it’s easy to follow this story and we’re part of it but northern European states need convincing.”