Activists of all ages gathered close to the US Embassy in Ta’ Qali on Saturday in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon.

The vigil, organised by Ġustizzja għall-Palestina, Youth for Palestine, and Moviment Graffitti, sought to highlight the enabling role the US and other western governments were playing in enabling what they described as “Israeli war crimes”.

Yana Mintoff from Ġustizzja għall-Palestina read out a letter sent by 13 local organisations to newly elected US President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden.

The letter strongly criticised Western diplomacy, stating: “The failure to prevent repeated Israeli state war crimes is a horrifying failure of global and Western diplomacy and will go down in history as one of humanity’s most shameful chapters since the Second World War.” However, it expressed a glimmer of hope, adding: “Further deterioration may still be avoided.”

The letter follows the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum issued by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel. On October 13, Blinken had demanded that Israel ensure a minimum of 350 aid trucks reached Gaza daily. Vigil organisers said this promise has not been fulfilled.

In the letter, the organisations urged the US to halt its funding of weapons and military hardware to Israel, saying the US was “still in time to stand on the right side of history.”

Saturday’s vigil attracted a crowd of about 75 people of various ages. Many participants held placards with messages such as “Hands off Lebanon” and “Stop genocide in Gaza,” while some raised red-painted hands to symbolise bloodshed.

Yana Mintoff addressing the crowd. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Seven speakers addressed the gathering, with Sammy Meilaq, a veteran Labour Party activist and representative of Front Maltin Inqumu, delivering one of the most impassioned speeches.

Meilaq accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a war criminal and labelled US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as his “godfathers and enablers.” He described all three as “Nazis” for their complicity in the events in Gaza.

However, he also conveyed a message of hope, asserting, “Politically, Palestine is winning.” Using metaphors, he added, “All of Europe’s squares are now Palestine, and the Ivy Leagues are now also Palestinian territories,” alluding to widespread protests, in Europe and on US college campuses, in solidarity with Palestine.

Amy Mallia from Moviment Graffitti highlighted the vigil’s timeliness, coming just days after President Trump’s re-election.

“Gaza doesn’t care about Trump, Biden, or Harris; it’s all the same,” she said, saying Gazans were more concerned about fundamental needs such as “food, water, and protecting the community.”

Rueben Grima from Ġustizzja għall-Palestina warned of the psychological toll of the ongoing violence. He described it as “brutal and brutalising,” and said there was a risk that hearing about the ever-growing list of victims risks is becoming normalised.

Grima also criticised Malta’s politicians on the issue, pointing out that other European countries, such as Spain and Ireland, have openly addressed the situation Malta has yet to have a plenary debate on the matter. Sarcastically, he added, “They seem to have more important things on their mind.”

Speakers Joanna Jebaili from Lebanese Advocates and Dannia al-Haddad from Ġustizzja għall-Palestina also took to the stage, delivering poignant remarks on the ongoing struggles in the region.

The vigil concluded with a poetry reading by John J. Portelli from his book The Shadow: Poems for the Children of Gaza, co-authored with Palestinian poet Ahmed Miqdad.