‘Malta Should Recognise The Palestinian State’ – PN MEP Candidate Lee Bugeja Bartolo
PN MEP candidate Lee Bugeja Bartolo has called for Malta to join Spain, Norway and Ireland in recognising the Palestinian State.
“The Palestinian nation has had enough and deserve better,” Bugeja Bartolo wrote on social media.
Malta’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has previously that it is agreed to recognise the Palestinian state when “conditions are appropriate” alongside Spain, Ireland and Slovenia. However, in an interesting development yesterday, the former two countries, alongside Norway, declared that it officially recognises the nation.
When asked by Lovin Malta about whether it intends to recognise Palestine in light of this news, a spokesperson of the foreign ministry said that it will do so “when such recognition can make a positive contribution, and when the circumstances are right”.
This was the full response:
“Malta has consistently persisted in its position in favour of a two-state solution that meets the aspirations of the people of Israel and Palestine, with Jerusalem as the capital of two states living side-by-side in peace and security.”
“In this regard, Malta has recently affirmed its readiness to recognise Palestine, when such recognition can make a positive contribution, and when the circumstances are right. In this regard, the Government is monitoring developments in the Middle East, to determine the optimal timeframes for this important development as soon as possible.”
However, when asked to elaborate further about what it means by “right circumstances” and whether these would include considerations specific to Malta or with respect to the region or conflict, the ministry did not respond.
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