The Gaza tinder keg

Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities more than seven days ago left more than 1,300 Israelis dead and many more injured. The attacks provoked a massive retaliation from Israel on the Gaza Strip, where more than two million Palestinians live on a sliver of land only slightly bigger than Malta. 

Israel has bombed Gaza, obliterating whole neighborhoods in a bid to destroy Hamas infrastructure and target militants. But in the process, almost 2,000 Palestinians have been killed. 

The situation has turned into a tinder keg that risks developing into a wider conflict in the Middle East. 

MaltaToday talked former prime minister Alfred Sant and veteran Nationalist MP Carm Mifsud Bonnici to get their views on the current situation in the Middle East. 

From hope to despair: 'No stability without a future of dignity’ 

Former prime minister Alfred Sant, who in 1997 presided over a highly symbolic handshake between then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli foreign minister David Levy.

The future looks bleak as extremism has taken a hold in the region. But there “can be no stability without a future based on dignity” and a “future for Palestinians” says former prime minister Alfred Sant, who in 1997 presided over a highly symbolic handshake between then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli foreign minister David Levy. 

Twenty-six years ago, Malta hosted a Euromed summit marked by a sense of cautious optimism, a mood generated by the Oslo Accords signed in 1993. 

During this event, Alfred Sant, who was then prime minister of Malta, oversaw a momentous and symbolic handshake between the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the Israeli foreign minister David Levy. 

Contacted by MaltaToday on Friday morning Alfred Sant recalls “the sense of optimism at that time” attributing this to an international climate conducive to giving Israelis and Palestinians “a perspective of a future based on a two-state solution.” 

Sant frames the gathering in Malta in 1997 as part of what was happening on a global level at the time, characterised by an ongoing dialogue between the EU, the Arab Mediterranean states and Israel. He also recalls that Malta was at that time considered “an acceptable venue” by all sides without gloating on this historical detail. 

Yet so many things have changed since then, chief amongst them according to Sant was the rise of extremism among both the Palestinians and within Israel itself. 

He also recalls that even before the Malta gathering, the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 by an Israeli ultra nationalist had already dealt a blow to the peace process. 

Moreover, the growth of Hamas on one side - partly as a reaction against the corruption within the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority - and the growth of an Israeli far right co-opted into government by Benjamin Netanyahu, has worsened the situation. 

Sant notes that one factor contributing to the greatest security breach of Israeli borders, was the deployment of Israeli troops to defend illegal settlements dominated by extremists in the West Bank. 

But recent events also provoke a sense of déjà vu with Sant recalling the Six-Day war of 1967. Back then Palestinians were first driven to refugee camps in Jordan and subsequently into Lebanon with the PLO leadership ultimately being driven to Tunisia where it was also attacked. Sant fears that the same could happen in Gaza where civilians are being asked to evacuate or face destruction. 

“What I see is a continuation of the same story, that of a lack of any perspective of a future for the Palestinians,” adding that there will “always be instability in the absence of a perspective of a future.” 

But while sensitive to the plight of Palestinians, Sant is appalled by “the growth of radical Islamism” which like all religious extremism does not bode well. 

Neither does he dismiss Hamas as “crazy”, noting that while their actions are abhorrent,  there was a logic to their method. 

“The attack was well planned, and they perfectly knew how Israel would have reacted after the attack,” he says. 

But Sant is sceptical on Iranian involvement in the Hamas attacks.  “It is perfectly possible that Hamas acted on their own.” 

Sant agrees the EU and the USA have responsibilities over the stalled peace process and the perception that especially in the case of the US, the pro-Israeli lobby is very strong. 

But Sant also notes that even within US society, and within Jewish groups, there is a more balanced debate and a greater awareness of the plight of Palestinians. 

He notes that this represents a marked change over the past decades with pro-Palestinian views becoming more mainstream. 

And while US support of Israel in the aftermath of the terrorist onslaught is predictable, Sant also notes that this support has been qualified with calls on Israel to operate within the framework of international law. 

He notes that the European Union is still “traumatised by the holocaust”. 

But he also warns that if Israel is not restrained both the EU and US risk perpetuating the idea that “they use two weights and two measures” when it comes to breaches of international law. 

While insisting that the only possible solution is a two-state solution, Sant feels that the current scenario is “very bleak”. 

“The reality is that two million people in Gaza without a future will remain a source of instability irrespective of where they are expelled to… it has happened before in 1967 and we know what happened after that.” 

He also warns that the shift to the right in Israeli politics is perpetuating the idea of Israel as an apartheid state, even if he is not at ease with this definition. He also notes the split in the Palestinian movement, with Hamas developing roots in Palestinian society, something which he does not think can be wished away. 

A bleak scenario: ‘Palestinians deserve better than Hamas’ 

Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, a political veteran who hails from the Christian democratic tradition which in Malta has a history of supporting the Palestinian cause.

Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, a political veteran who hails from the Christian democratic tradition which in Malta has a history of supporting the Palestinian cause, is worried that extremists on either side of the Middle East conflict will perpetuate a cycle of violence. 

“I am very very, worried,” the veteran and well-read Nationalist MP says. He immediately refers me to an interview he had just read with veteran Israeli journalist David Grossman. 

“As you said in your editorial (MaltaToday Midweek 11 October 2023), Hamas’s action was a disservice to the Palestinian cause,” he says, admitting to being shaken to the core by the “beheading of babies in a kibbutz” and the shooting of young people in a rave party. 

“How can you behead babies? How can you shoot or burn entire families?  How can you represent your people on the world stage and commit such acts?” he asks. 

Mifsud Bonnici also calls Hamas’s actions “gross political ignorance” which could backfire. “How can anyone dialogue with Hamas after they butchered people? Instead of using their growing influence as the ascendent Palestinian force, the attack could eventually lead to a reaffirmation of Al Fatah, which now remains the only possible interlocutor for the Palestinian people.” 

But while this may be an opportunity for Palestinians to return to the fold of the more pragmatic and moderate Fatah, Mifsud Bonnici warns that while Israel’s massive response in Gaza may end up wiping out Hamas, the number of rising civilian casualties may leave a vacuum to be filled by other extremists and terrorists. 

Like Alfred Sant, Mifsud Bonnici also insists that Israel and particularly Netanyahu have grave responsibilities. 

He points out that the flagrant security breach happened on Netanyahu’s watch. But while some have speculated that Netanyahu is toast after the state failed to offer Israelis the promised security, Mifsud Bonnici fears that Netanyahu, who excels in the art of political survival, may well thrive in his role as a war leader. 

“Just months ago, he was facing demonstrations in Israel against a reform aimed at strengthening his hold on the judiciary. Now he is reinventing himself as a war leader, bringing the opposition party into his government.” 

Mifsud Bonnici is also apprehensive on the Israeli reaction, describing it “exaggerated”. He says bombing tunnels used by terrorists is acceptable but “bombing children and civilians is not”. 

He is also alarmed by Israel’s call on civilians to evacuate and Egypt’s refusal to open the Rafah border crossing. 

“Where do they expect the people of Gaza to go?  Are they expecting them to cross over into the sea and drown?” 

He also thinks there are western responsibilities for the stalled peace process. But he also attributes this to the absence of a strong Palestinian leadership after Arafat.   

“Until there is a strong moderate Palestinian force, there can be no concrete move for peace.  To win arguments in the international field one needs the kind of legitimacy which comes from moderation.” 

Moreover, the Palestinians also faced increased isolation in the Arab world and no longer garner the automatic support of Arab nation. He attributes this to Israel’s sophisticated diplomacy and economic prowess, with Arab nations realising that it is more profitable for them to have trade relations with Israel. This should have been a wake-up call for the Palestinian leadership. 

Mifsud Bonnici is not surprised by the US’s reaction, noting the historical ties between the US and Israel. While noting that the support is sometimes qualified by reference to international law, he fears that such unconditional support can be interpreted as a licence for Israel to wipe out Hamas from the face of the earth without much concern for casualties. 

He is also convinced though that the US is also using diplomacy to avoid the conflict from spreading. 

“They sent an aircraft carrier there to send a warning to Iran and its proxies in Lebanon not to interfere while Israel carries on with the assault on Gaza.” 

He also reprimands the EU for using funds as token support for the Palestinians to keep them quit. “What real development has taken place in the occupied territories and Gaza considering that they do not even have a reserve of fuel for their sole power station?” 

He describes the situation as bleak, “a veritable clash between extremists on both sides which does not bode well”. 

“For now, it is useless to talk about peace talks. My fear is that Gaza will be raised to the ground. But when will this stop? When they kill everyone?” 

On a more local level he also regrets that despite a sense of solidarity with the people trapped in the conflict historically expressed by both major parties, Malta’s foreign policy has been less pro-active over the past years. 

“Sure, we are part of the European Union. But surely that does not prevent us from being pro-active in doing our part and gain the trust of both sides.” 

And while he supports the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, he insists that “this is not a football match where one has to take sides, but a complex issue with deep historical roots which impacts on real human beings.” 

So, what position should Malta take? “In this case the starting point has to be a strong condemnation of Hamas. But we should not stop there. We should call for restraint on Israel’s side and work to reaffirm the role of Fatah as the legitimate interlocutor of the Palestinian people.”