Malta fails to raise Israeli shooting of Maltese activist at EU level
The Maltese government has failed to raise the Israeli shooting of Maltese activist Bianca Zammit in Gaza at the European Union’s meeting of foreign ministers Monday, despite Tonio Borg’s pledge to involve the EU on the incident. Last Sunday Foreign Minister Tonio Borg promised to raise the issue at the European foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, saying he would speak to his counterparts about the incident in which Zammit was shot by Israeli soldiers during a peaceful demonstration in Gaza the day before, held Saturday.
But in reality Borg failed to make any mention of the incident that could have had much more serious consequences.
Zammit was shot in her left thigh by an Israeli soldier on Saturday while she was participating in and filming a demonstration in Al Meghazi, in support of Palestinian farmers who are banned from working their land bordering with Israel.
A press release issued by his ministry Monday about the EU meeting ignored Borg’s own pledge made the day before, omitting to explain why the incident was not raised in Brussels.
A spokesman for the minister said Borg could not raise the incident on the agenda as the topics for discussion had to be sent a week in advance. He would not clarify whether the minister knowingly promised something he could not do or if it was lack of procedural knowledge. Nor would he specify if the Maltese contingent in Brussels, which included Parliamentary Secretary for Information Chris Said, put any pressure to get the item on the agenda at the eleventh hour in view of its seriousness.
The government however did send a letter of protest to the Israeli government through Malta’s ambassador in Israel, Abraham Borg, a day after the incident.
On Sunday the ambassador presented a strongly-worded letter to the Israeli government, condemning the shooting on Zammit as “totally unwarranted” and demanding an investigation into the incident.
Attempts to get the Israeli government’s reaction proved futile yesterday as the Israeli ambassador to Malta based in Rome, Gideon Meir did not return our calls nor respond to questions sent by email.
‘They thought I was Palestinian’ Zammit was meanwhile discharged from Al Awda Hospital on Monday and is now recovering at her residence in Gaza City.
Although still in pain, she is able to walk short distances and doctors told her she might be able to return to walk normally in a few weeks’ time as there were no fractures and the bullet pierced through her thigh.
Two Palestinian demonstrators who were also shot by Israeli soldiers are however still at Al Aqsa Hospital, one of them in critical condition.
Hind Al Akra 22, was hit in her stomach a few metres away from Zammit, while 18-year-old Nidal Al Naql was hit in his leg, fracturing it.
Zammit, who has been accompanying farmers daily as an International Solidarity Movement activist since demonstrations started last January, says this was the first time that a foreigner was targeted.
“This is the first time that Israeli soldiers have shot at international demonstrators near the buffer zone,” Zammit said yesterday.
The Israeli army’s statement shortly after the incident stating that three Palestinians were shot indicates that the soldier pulling the trigger mistook her for a local. So far there has been no admission from the Israeli military that they shot at the Maltese activist.
“It is clear that for them, Palestinians have no value, no rights, they’re not even considered human beings, so they had no problems admitting they shot at Palestinians,” Zammit said. “The whole point of us foreigners accompanying locals is to serve as human shields, and because the soldiers usually hold back from shooting directly at us.”
Zammit was filming at the time she was shot, shortly after the two Palestinians were hit.
The Israeli military said Zammit was in what it called a “no-go area” within 300 metres away from the Israeli border. However prohibited zone is within Palestinian territory, where farmers have been unable to work for years.
“Declaring a no-go area on someone else’s territory goes against international law and fundamental human rights,” Zammit said. “These farmers get so emotional when they revisit their land which they haven’t been to in years. Around 20% of Gaza’s agricultural land lies in this zone where Israelis just shoot at whoever approaches. As a Maltese and world citizen, I don’t expect to be shot at when I’m in a non-violent demonstration and posing no threat to anyone. If we don’t stand up against this injustice, Israel will tomorrow say that the no-go area extends to 1 or 2 kilometres.”
Zammit thanked the Maltese ambassadors in Israel and Egypt, and the Maltese representative to the Palestinian Authority, who kept in touch with her and followed the case from the moment they were alerted about the incident by MaltaToday.
She also expressed her satisfaction at the government’s unreserved condemnation of the shooting.
“I have forgiven the sniper, but I expect justice, towards me and towards all the Palestinians – farmers, fishermen and whoever lives in the besieged Gaza strip and the occupied territories,” she said.
Zammit is determined to return to the demonstrations once she recovers from her injuries and has no plans to return to Malta for now.
“I want to keep accompanying Palestinian farmers and documenting and reporting about all these violations to their rights,” she said.
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Last Sunday Foreign Minister Tonio Borg promised to raise the issue at the European foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, saying he would speak to his counterparts about the incident in which Zammit was shot by Israeli soldiers during a peaceful demonstration in Gaza the day before, held Saturday. 
