Updated November 16 with Labour statement
Malta's Nationalist Party MEPs have voted against the European Parliament having a plenary debate on Israel's decision to band the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in the region.
At a vote on Wednesday, PN MEPs David Casa and Peter Agius voted against a request from The Left Group for the EP to discuss the matter.
Labour MEPs Ales Agius Saliba and Thomas Bajada voted in favour of the request, while Daniel Attard's name did not appear on the voting list.
The request ultimately did not pass with 353 voting against the measure, 201 in favour and 7 abstentions.
Israel's parliament approved a bill banning the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from working in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem at the end of October.
The agency has provided essential aid and assistance across Palestinian territories and to Palestinian refugees elsewhere for more than seven decades
In a statement on Friday the Labour Party condmened the PN MEPs vote as "shameful".
They said the PN MEPs did all they could to paint Malta in a bad light within Europe but were then happy to look the other way when "faced with a decision that would cause a devastating humanitarian effect on millions of children, men and women."
PN MEPs: This was a procedural motion
In a response, PN MEPs said they were all for the strengthening of UNRWA and had voted to do so at EP level serveral times.
"We deeply regret the vote of the Israeli Knesset in October banning UNRWA as this makes the UN and EU operation in solidarity with the people of Palestine more difficult if not impossible. We also join the EP's open and ongoing call for a ceasefire in the Middle East," they said.
The MEPs said the debate discussed this week was not approved for discussion on the plenary agenda and was added at the last minute by the extreme left, without discussion between political groups and with a unilaterally chosen title and subject.
"We have debated the situation the Middle East multiple times and practically in every recent plenary. Our position on the crisis in Gaza is clearly set in the numerous votes we’ve participated in. Coming to erroneous conclusions about our position based on the EPP’s decision to vote against procedural motions from the extreme left is erroneous and misguided," they said.
Labour: PN is insensitive
In a statement on Saturday, the Labour Party said the PN was "insensitive" for having held a press conference to announce details of an upcoming EPP seminar to be held in Malta, without apologising for their MEPs' vote.
"David Casa and Peter Agius' utter disregard and lack of empathy towards families who are experiencing genocide is shocking, as is Michael Piccinino's defence, earlier on today, of their inexcusable behaviour. It shows the PN's true colours: insensitive," the party said.