Moviment Graffitti strongly condemns Malta’s consideration to join the EU’s Red Sea Mission, Operation Aspides. Participation in this operation would go against Malta’s constitutional principle of neutrality and active peace seeking, and help restore normal trade with a state actively committing genocide – Israel. We call on Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg, and Prime Minister Robert Abela, to ensure Malta stays out of Operation Aspides.

Moviment Graffitti appeals to the Maltese Government to instead direct its efforts for the restoration of safe trade passage through the Red Sea route by working within international institutions towards a permanent ceasefire and an end to the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

In November of 2023, in response to the genocide in Gaza, Ansarullah (Houthi Movement) started attacking commercial ships connected to Israeli companies, saying that they will continue to do so until humanitarian aid is delivered to Gaza and Israel ceases its aggression.

This act of resistance has disrupted 12% of global trade, with 95% of all routes that previously passed through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, being rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope. This is causing up to 30 day delays, the more than doubling of the cost of exports, and serious corporate divestment. OCCL and Evergreen, 2 shipping giants, have publicly announced that it would no longer accept any Israeli cargo, with most others suspending their routes that pass through the region.

While the response from most Western countries in trying to stop the genocide in Gaza has been meek at best, and actively supportive of genocide at worst, the response to strained trade routes has been resounding with the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway and others all signing on to Operation Prosperity Guardian, a military operation that has seen airstrikes against Ansarallah targets on both land and sea.

While the EU has not wholly supported this operation, EU member states have approved a Common Security and Defence Policy military operation in the Red Sea seeking to protect merchant ships by intercepting attacks against them. This has seen the contribution of Italian frigates and guided missile destroyers, a US aircraft carrier and a German air defence frigate. These vessels armed with highly advanced weapons are making their way to the Red Sea in preparation to support Israeli trade, and thwart resistance against Israel’s genocide.

We demand that Malta does its utmost to stop this escalation of violence from taking place and ensure that no Maltese resources, officers or staff have any involvement in this operation. Doing so would be breaking the principle of our constitutional neutrality which clearly states that Malta should refuse to “…to participate in any military alliance…” as well as actively pursue “…peace, security and social progress among all nations…”.

Malta must not aid and abet genocide, whether directly or by proxy.

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Malta m’għandhiex tipparteċipa f’attivitajiet militari li jappoġġjaw il-ġenoċidju

Il-Moviment Graffitti jikkundanna bis-sħiħ il-konsiderazzjoni ta’ Malta li tingħaqad mal-Operazzjoni Aspides, missjoni tal-UE fil-Baħar l-Aħmar. Kull parteċipazzjoni f’din l-operazzjoni tmur kontra kull prinċipju kostituzzjonali tan-newtralità u paċi. Dan filwaqt li tgħin il-kummerċ jerġa’ jibda qisu mhu xejn mal-Iżrael, stat li qed jikkommetti ġenoċidju b’mod attiv.

Għalhekk insejħu lill-Ministru tal-Intern Byron Camilleri, lill-Ministru tal-Affarijiet Barranin Ian Borg, u lill-Prim Ministru Robert Abela, biex jiżguraw li Malta ma tkunx parti mill-Operazzjoni Aspides.

Il-Moviment Graffitti jappella lill-Gvern Malti biex – minflok jipparetċipa f’attivitajiet militari – juża l-isforzi tiegħu għar-restawr ta’ rotta kummerċjali sigura fil-Baħar l-Aħmar billi jaħdem fl-istituzzjonijiet internazzjonali għal waqfien mill-ġlied permanenti u t-tmiem tal-ġenoċidju Iżraeljan fuq il-Palestinjani f’Gaża.

F’Novembru tal-2023, b’reazzjoni għall-attakki f’Gaża, Ansarullah (Moviment Houthi) beda’ jattakka vapuri kummerċjali li kellhom x’jaqsmu ma’ kumpaniji Iżraeljani, u insista li mhux se jieqaf qabel tingħata għajnuna umanitarja lil Gaża u l-Iżrael iwaqqaf l-attakki tiegħu.

Dan l-att ta’ reżistenza ħarbat 12% tal-kummerċ globali, b’95% tar-rotot kollha li qabel kienu jgħaddu minn Bab al-Mandeb jiġu mgħoddija madwar ‘Cape of Good Hope.’ Dan qed iwassal għal dewmien fit-traġitt, ġieli anke sa 30 ġurnata aktar mis-soltu, spejjeż ogħla fl-esportazzjoni, u divestiment mill-Iżrael. OCCL u Evergreen, żewġ aġenti kbar, ħabbru pubblikament li mhux se jaċċettaw aktar merkanzija Iżraeljana, b’numru kbir ta’ aġenti oħra jissospendu r-rotot li normalment jgħaddu mir-reġjun.

Filwaqt li r-rispons mill-biċċa l-kbira tal-pajjiżi tal-Punent għall-ġenoċidju f’Gaża kien dgħajjef ħafna, jew saħansitra appoġġjaw il-ġenoċidju b’mod attiv, ir-rispons tagħhom għat-tfixkil tar-rotot tal-kummerċ kien enormi. L-Istati Uniti, ir-Renju Unit, l-Awstralja, il-Kanada, id-Danimarka, Il-Greċja, l-Olanda, in-Norveġja, u oħrajn, ippreparaw l-Operazzjoni Prosperity Guardian, operazzjoni militari li rat attakki mill-ajru kontra miri ta’ Ansarallah kemm fuq l-art kif ukoll fuq il-baħar.

Għalkemm l-UE ma appoġġjatx għal kollox din l-operazzjoni, l-istati membri tal-UE approvaw il-’Politika ta’ Sigurtà u Difiża Komuni fil-Baħar l-Aħmar,’ operazzjoni militari li tassigura protezzjoni lill-bastimenti tal-merkanzija billi jinterċettaw attakki kontrihom.

Dan ra l-kontribut ta’ vapuri Taljani u missili ggwidati, aircraft carrier tal-Istati Uniti u vapuri Ġermaniżi għad-difiża tal-ajru. Dawn il-bastimenti armati b’armi avvanzati ħafna qed jagħmlu triqthom lejn il-Baħar l-Aħmar biex ppoġġjaw il-kummerċ Iżraeljan u jfixklu r-reżistenza kontra l-ġenoċidju ta’ Iżrael.

Nitolbu li Malta tagħmel l-almu tagħha biex twaqqaf din l-eskalazzjoni ta’ vjolenza milli sseħħ u tiżgura li l-ebda riżorsa Maltija ma jkollha involviment f’din l-operazzjoni.

Jekk Malta tappoġġja din l-operazzjoni, il-Gvern ikun qed jikser il-prinċipju tan-newtralità kostituzzjonali tal-pajjiż, li tgħid ċar li Malta għandha tirrifjuta li tipparteċipa “…f’kull alleanza militari…” kif ukoll attivament tilħaq “..il-paċi, is-siġurtà u l-progress soċjali fost in-nazzjonijiet kollha…”

Malta m’għandhiex tgħin jew tħeġġeġ il-ġenoċidju, la b’mod dirett jew lanqas bi prokura.