Silence on Gaza situation is no badge of courage
Ignoring what is happening in Gaza is not neutrality, but a failure of moral courage and a betrayal of universal human rights. For a growing number of people of conscience, silence is an act of cowardice.
Benjamin Netanyahu recently described delegates who walked out of his United Nations speech as “moral cowards.” However, walking out is, to say the very least, an unequivocal statement of dissent.
On the other hand, greater cowardice may lie with those who avoid attending altogether, avoiding the moment when one would have to stand up, walk out, and openly take a position.
A growing number of people around the world are courageously raising their voices to express their anger, holding Netanyahu responsible for the human catastrophe in Gaza.
Many consider that the devastating humanitarian consequences of the war in Gaza demand scrutiny, accountability, and an end to the killing.
Although the allegation of genocide remains the subject of proceedings before the International Court of Justice, it does not diminish the urgency of addressing the immense suffering of Palestinian citizens.
Many a time, criticism of Netanyahu’s government is branded as anti-Semitic. However, Netanyahu is not Israel, just as Vladimir Putin is not Russia and Zionism is not Judaism. Such distinctions matter. Criticism of a government, its policies, or a political ideology is not automatically hatred of an entire nation or religion.
Sadly, anti-Semitism is real, just as Christian aversion and Islamophobia are real. All must be tackled wherever they appear. Ironically, to some degree, current anti-Semitism is rather a reaction to Netanyahu’s own doings.
Although anti-Semitism is inexcusable, it must not become a reason to silence legitimate criticism of government policy. We must be capable of opposing anti-Semitism while also challenging the actions of the Israeli government.
Judaism is a religion, while Zionism is a political ideology. They are not synonymous. Respect for Jewish people and their rich heritage does not prevent opposition to Zionism or strongly criticising the policies of the Israeli government.
Many are angry not with Jews or Judaism, but with the policies and actions of Netanyahu’s government, the devastation inflicted on Gaza, and the suffering of Palestinian citizens.
For a growing number of people of conscience, silence is an act of cowardice.
During my tenure as an MP, I decided not to attend the 2024 Holocaust memorial annual parliament commemoration, not as an act of hostility towards the Jewish people, Judaism, or Jewish history.
My absence was not a protest against bringing to mind the Holocaust, but rather a statement of principle. The Holocaust is one of the darkest chapters in human history. Remembering the Holocaust ought to strengthen our determination to oppose today’s mass killing, collective punishment, forced displacement, and the denial of human dignity wherever they occur. Thus, we cannot be selective in what we recall; otherwise, it is hypocrisy if we remember past atrocities whilst ignoring the present ones.
Gavin Bazunu, the Irish goalkeeper who withdrew from the squad rather than participate in the Israel fixture, and singer Macklemore, who dropped out from Ed Sheeran’s tour following his public pro-Palestinian statements, were not cowards but courageous voices of conscience.
In my address to parliament following the attacks of October 7, I am on record stating that we must condemn such brutality without reservations. The murder of innocent Israeli civilians and the taking of hostages cannot be justified. Hamas and their leaders must be held accountable.
Nevertheless, those crimes cannot be used as a pretext to murder so many other innocent Palestinians, in particular children, and to carpet-bomb the entire region. Condemning Hamas does not require silence about Palestinian suffering, just as defending Palestinian civilians does not require anyone to excuse Hamas’s crimes.
We cannot be selective in the face of suffering according to our political deliberations.
When civilians in Ukraine were attacked, killed, and displaced, the international community responded with condemnation, humanitarian and military assistance, international boycotts, and demands for accountability from Russia.
International law cannot be selective. If governments violate international law, whether in Gaza, Ukraine, or anywhere else, we must be prepared to call a spade a spade. We cannot demand accountability from one government while remaining silent when another does the same.
If we do so, our credibility is at stake.
Malta cannot find comfort in national bubbles whilst convincing itself that such atrocities are not our concern. When we walk the diplomatic tightrope at the expense of principle, we risk losing our humanity and the value of solidarity. When that happens, then our statements about compassion, human rights, and justice become hollow.
The Palestine issue is long overdue for a just and lasting solution. The Palestinian people cannot be expected to continue living with suffering, displacement, and uncertainty.
The two-State solution remains the internationally supported framework for achieving a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live as two sovereign states, side by side, in peace and security.
However, achieving such a goal requires rejecting the extremes on both sides and giving space to those prepared to choose dialogue, coexistence, compromise, and peace over hatred and violence.
It requires an end to occupation, the protection of civilians, respect for international law, and genuine political leadership.
This is also why moral courage matters. It is easy to speak when everyone around you agrees. It is much harder to speak when doing so is uncomfortable, politically inconvenient, or personally costly.
Whilst Netanyahu is free to call those who walked out “moral cowards,” people of good conscience consider them as courageous voices standing for a core principle: that every human life has value, regardless of nationality, religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation.
All lives – Israeli, Palestinian, others – matter!
Shalom Israel. As-Salam Gaza.
(This article was published on Times of Malta – 20 October, 2026)