Moviment Graffitti is accusing Roberta Metsola of having blood on her hands after standing by war criminals and an occupying state while it was indiscriminately brutalising Palestinians.

A genocide is currently being perpetrated in Gaza, home to two and a half million Palestinians living on a strip of land the size of Malta. The people in Gaza have run out of water, electricity and food after Israel’s total blockade. Non-stop bombardments have obliterated entire neighbourhoods and murdered hundreds of innocent children, women, and men. Even people fleeing to supposedly “safe places” on Israel’s instructions have been savagely bombed by the Israeli army.

In the midst of all this, European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, together with European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, went to Israel, rubbing shoulders and shaking hands with war criminals and fascist politicians, and giving their tacit approval to Israel’s already-declared plans of genocidal violence in Gaza.

Roberta Metsola had an opportunity to contribute to a peaceful solution by expressing solidarity with all victims of violence while recognising that the roots of this violence – Israel’s ongoing colonisation and brutal occupation of Palestinian lands – need to be addressed for a long-lasting and just peace.

Instead, she chose to fully take the side of the oppressor, reinforcing the message that has been conveyed over and over again during the past 75 years and which led to the tragic events of the past week: that Israel can literally get away with murder. It can expel Palestinians from their land, murder them on a mass scale and commit repeated acts of terror in the occupied territories, without any consequences from European and other Western countries.

No official European buildings were lit with Palestinians flags while Israel was flouting all rules of international law. No visits of solidarity were paid to Palestine while Israel was illegally besieging Gaza and bombing it periodically for the last 17 years. No European institution intervened to help Palestinians rid themselves of an illegal occupation. No sanctions were imposed on Israel while it was building illegal settlements in the West Bank and enforcing an apartheid system.

And while Ursula von Der Leyen had rightly pointed out that starving the people of Ukraine of fuel, heating and power was a war crime, no similar statements were issued against the exact same measures imposed by Israel on the people of Gaza.

It is these double standards that have led to the current desperate situation among Palestinians and incentivised Israel to refrain from engaging in any process for a just and peaceful solution, as it stands confident in its military might and international backing from powerful countries.

Moreover, Metsola’s visit and statements were particularly heinous since they came amidst a flareup of Israeli genocidal actions against the Palestinians.

Moviment Graffitti makes a heartfelt appeal to Roberta Metsola, Western countries and European institutions, to change course and put immediate pressure on Israel to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Blood is already on their hands. Now they should at least limit the damage.

Roberta Metsola qed tiffaċilita l-ġenoċidju f’Gaża

Il-Moviment Graffitti qed jakkuża lil Roberta Metsola li għandha d-demm fuq idejha wara li tat l-appoġġ tagħha lil kriminali tal-gwerra, u lil stat li qed iwettaq okkupazzjoni illegali, eżatt fl-istess ħin li dan kien qed jimmassakra lill-Palestinjani.

Bħalissa għaddej ġenoċidju f’Gaża, strixxa d-daqs ta’ Malta li fiha jgħixu żewġ miljuni u nofs Palestinjan. In-nies ta’ Gaża sfaw bla ilma, dawl u ikel wara assedju totali mill-Iżrael. Bumbardamenti bla waqfien mill-ajru ħassru totalment żoni sħaħ u qatlu mijiet ta’ tfal, nisa u rġiel innoċenti. Saħansitra, nies li kienu qed jaħarbu lejn żoni hekk imsejħa “sikuri” fuq ordnijiet tal-Istat Iżraeljan ġew ibbumbardjati b’mod salvaġġ mill-armata Iżraeljana.

F’nofs dan kollu, il-President tal-Parlament Ewropew, Roberta Metsola, flimkien mal-President tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea, Ursula von der Leyen, marru l-Iżrael jieħdu b’idejn kriminali tal-gwerra u politiċi faxxisti, u b’hekk jagħtu l-approvazzjoni impliċita tagħhom għad-dikjarazzjonijiet li kienu saru mill-Iżrael dwar it-twettiq ta’ vjolenza ġenoċidali f’Gaża.

Roberta Metsola kellha l-opportunità li tikkontribwixxi għal soluzzjoni paċifika billi turi solidarjetà mal-vittimi kollha tal-vjolenza, filwaqt li tagħraf li l-għerq ta’ din il-vjolenza – il-kolonizzazzjoni kontinwa tal-artijiet Palestinjani u l-okkupazzjoni mdemmija Iżraeljana – jeħtieġ jiġu indirizzati sabiex tintlaħaq paċi dejjiema u ġusta.

Minflok, hi għażlet li żżomm kompletament mal-oppressur u tibgħat l-istess messaġġ li ntbagħat matul dawn l-aħħar 75 sena, u li wassal għat-traġedji ta’ din il-ġimgħa: dak li l-Iżrael igawdi minn impunità għall-azzjonijiet tiegħu. L-Iżrael jista’ jkeċċi lil-Palestinjani minn arthom, joqtolhom bl-addoċċ, iwettaq atti ripetuti ta’ terrur fl-artijiet okkupati, mingħajr ebda konsegwenza mill-pajjiżi Ewropej u mill-punent.

L-ebda binja uffiċjali Ewropea ma nxtelgħet bil-bandiera Palestinjana meta l-Iżrael kien qed jikser kull liġi internazzjonali. Ma kien hemm l-ebda żjara ta’ solidarjetà fil-Palestina meta l-Iżrael kien qed jassedja illegalment lil Gaża u jibbumbardjaha regolarment matul dawn l-aħħar 17-il sena. L-ebda istituzzjoni Ewropea ma intervjeniet biex tgħin lill-Palestinjani jeħilsu mill-okkupazzjoni illegali. Ma kien hemm ebda sanzjoni kontra l-Iżrael meta dan kien qed jibni insedjamenti (settlements) illegali fix-Xatt tal-Punent u jinforza sistema ta’ apartheid.

U filwaqt li Ursula von Der Leyen kienet ġustament iddikjarat li ċ-ċaħda ta’ fjuwil u elettriku lill-poplu Ukren hija reat tal-gwerra, l-ebda stqarrija simili ma nħarġet kontra l-istess miżuri li qed iwettaq l-Iżrael fuq in-nies ta’ Gaża.

Huma dawn id-double standards li wasslu għas-sitwazzjoni ddisprata li jinsabu fiha l-Palestinjani llum il-ġurnata u li inċentivaw lill-Iżrael sabiex ma jipparteċipa fl-ebda proċess li jwassal għal soluzzjoni paċifika u ġusta, kunfidenti biżżejjed fil-qawwa militari tiegħu u fl-appoġġ minn pajjiżi setgħana.

U ż-żjara u l-istqarrijiet ta’ Metsola kienu partikolarment diżgustanti għaliex saru propju waqt li l-Iżrael kien qed jintensifika l-azzjonijiet ġenoċidali tiegħu.

Il-Moviment Graffitti jagħmel appell minn qalbu lil Roberta Metsola, lill-pajjiżi tal-punent u lill-istituzzjonijiet Ewropej, sabiex ibiddlu d-direzzjoni tagħhom u jibdew jagħmlu pressjoni fuq l-Iżrael ħalli jwaqqaf il-ġenoċidju f’Gaża. Huma diġà għandhom idejhom imċappsin bid-demm. Issa għandhom, tal-inqas, jippruvaw jillimitaw id-dannu.