Watch: Former President George Vella – ‘Israel Treated Me As A Persona Non Grata’
Former Maltese President George Vella said that the Israeli government had treated him as a “persona non grata” after he questioned whether their treatment of Palestinians could be considered a form of ethnic cleansing.
Vella passed those comments in 2018 during an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, after his enure as Foreign Affairs Minister had concluded but before he had been appointed President of Malta.
In an interview on ‘Malta Ħanina’, a TVM documentary by journalist Liam Carter about Malta’s historical relationship with the Palestinian people, Vella said that the Israeli government got wind of those comments and wasn’t exactly pleased.
“They got offended and put me in their black books,” Vella said. “They didn’t speak to me at all when I was appointed President, other than when their ambassador would come over to collect papers.”
“I still had contact with their presidents Reuven Rivlin and Isaac Herzog, but Netanyahu’s government completely sidelined me, practically as a persona non grata.”
The national broadcaster released this documentary to mark Malta’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
Cover photo: Left: George Vella (Photo: Malta Ħanina), Right: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu