The Palestinian embassy in Malta will be holding a symbolic flag raising ceremony at its headquarters in Swieqi on Monday following Malta’s formal recognition of the State of Palestine.
Representatives of the Maltese government and other ambassadors are expected to attend the ceremony as the Palestinian ambassador urged the public to bring their own Palestinian flags to the ceremony too.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Palestinian ambassador Fadi Hanania said the ceremony was a gesture of appreciation for Malta’s recognition of the State of Palestine.
“Raising the Palestinian flag is a symbolic event that holds a great gratitude and appreciation to the prime minister’s historic step in recognising Palestine as a state. The latest momentum of recognitions urged the international community to react immediately to put an end to the genocide in Gaza after two years of suffering, displacement and starvation,” Hanania said.
Prime Minister Robert Abela declared Malta’s formal recognition of the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.
Malta joined a number of other countries including the United Kingdom and France in making this statement as part of the two-state solution summit.
In his declaration, Abela said the decision to recognise Palestine was a demonstration of its concrete commitment to a genuine and peaceful two-state solution as the only solution that will secure the future of both people.
Following this statement, Palestine’s representative office in Malta has now been upgraded to full embassy status, with its head recognised as the Ambassador of Palestine.
Meanwhile, the status of Malta’s representative in Ramallah will also be upgraded to that of ambassador.
Malta has backed US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza calling on “all parties to commit to a just two-state solution that upholds the rights and aspirations of both peoples”.
Reacting to that proposed peace plan, Hanania had said the State was ready “to engage positively and constructively with the United States and all parties in order to achieve peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region.”