Watch: ‘Who Is Pulling Your Strings?’ – Graffitti Activist Challenges Abela For Not Recognising Palestine
During a protest yesterday, Moviment Graffitti activist Andre Callus called out Prime Minister Robert Abela for not recognising Palestine as a state.
“Malta made some strong statements at the start but right now it isn’t doing enough,” Callus warned. “The government’s statements have become very ambiguous and we can’t afford ambiguity and empty words while genocide is taking place.”
“We talk about peace and both sides in international fora but yet we don’t recognise that genocide is taking place and that Israel’s terrorism is solely to blame.”
“Malta could have taken a small but symbolic move to recognise Palestine as a state, but they didn’t want to.”
“Robert Abela, who pulled Malta’s strings not to take this obvious and symbolic step? Are other countries controlling you? We cannot understand how you won’t even do this small and easy thing.”
The likes of Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia have all recognised Palestine as a state in recent months. Malta has taken a more cautious stance, pledging to recognise Palestine as a state “when the circumstances are right” without giving further details.
Abela was asked about Malta’s stance during an interview with Tim Diacono on Lovin Malta last August.
“I believe that the correct circumstances aren’t today or tomorrow but they aren’t too far away either. I believe there should be developments – not in the coming weeks or years but in the intermediate period,” he said.
While Abela denied that the USA was stopping Malta from recognising Palestine as a state, the Prime Minister stressed that he and Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg have worked hard to improve US-Maltese relations in recent years.
“I don’t think we were in the US’ best books but we displayed seriousness and integrity, and the fact that a security conference was recently held in Malta is a clear sign that the US and other governments see the country as a place of peace and neutrality.”