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 Malta |  Israel |
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Israeli–Maltese relations are the official relations between theState of Israel and theRepublic of Malta which encompasses the diplomatic, economic, and cultural interactions. Israel and Malta have maintained mixed relations since ties were established in 1965, with some periods of tension.
Prior to the establishment of the State of Israel and the independence of Malta, both territories were part of theBritish Empire asMandatory Palestine and theCrown Colony of Malta. From 1919 to the 1920s, British colonial authorities in Malta attempted to encourageMaltese people to emigrate to Palestine, but these efforts were largely unsuccessful.[1] The1922 census of Palestine lists 38 Maltese speakers in Mandatory Palestine (12 in Jerusalem-Jaffa and 26 in the Northern District), including 33 in municipal areas (4 inJerusalem, 2 inJaffa, 21 inHaifa, 5 inNazareth, and 1 inBeit Jala).[2]
Jewish communities have existed intermittently in Malta since antiquity.[3]
Formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Malta were officially established on 1 December 1965,[4] the year after theState of Malta became independent. As of 2025, Malta has an embassy inTel Aviv,[4] but Israel has no embassy in Malta, with the nearest Israeli embassy being inRome.[5]
Malta maintained a policy of neutrality during theArab–Israeli conflict, although whenDom Mintoff was Prime Minister of Malta during the early 1970s he was "increasingly unbalanced on Arab-Israeli issues" according to American documents leaked in theKissinger cables. On 11 July 1973, Mintoff argued in a parliamentary debate thatPalestinian terrorism was justified due to theIsraeli occupation of Palestinian territories, prompting a formal protest by the Israeli ambassador to Malta Drora Ben Yacov. In December 1973, Mintoff reportedly considered breaking relations with Israel after two Israeli patrol craft had anchored in Maltese territorial waters without communicating with the Maltese government.[6] According to declassified documents from the British government, Mintoff told British Prime MinisterEdward Heath that Malta was willing to assist the United Kingdom in mediating the Arab–Israeli conflict, but nothing came of this due to Malta's strained relations with Israel as a result ofthe islands' relations with Libya. Israeli Prime MinisterGolda Meir reportedly had a "strong personal aversion" to Mintoff.[7]
The Maltese government has recognised Palestinian aspirations for statehood since 1988, and has traditionally had close and friendlyrelations with Palestine.[8] On 26 October 1995, Palestinian leaderFathi Shaqaqi was assassinated inSliema, Malta by an unidentified gunman and an accomplice who are believed to have beenMossad operatives.[9] Maltese Prime MinisterEddie Fenech Adami and opposition leaderAlfred Sant both wore aPalestinian keffiyeh during a protest in 2002, angering the Israeli ambassador to Malta.[8]
On 24 April 2010, Maltese activist Bianca Zammit was shot in the leg byIsrael Defense Forces soldiers while she was at a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest along theGaza–Israel barrier.[10] In the aftermath of the shooting, Israeli ambassador to MaltaGideon Meir criticized theInternational Solidarity Movement which Zammit was a member of, and after a protest by the Maltese government Israeli foreign ministerAvigdor Lieberman formally apologised for the incident.[11] An investigation was carried out and two IDF soldiers were given suspended sentences after being found guilty of going against their orders. Maltese foreign ministerTonio Borg visited Israel and occupied Palestine and spoke out against Israel'sblockade of the Gaza Strip in December 2010.[10]
Maltese Prime MinisterJoseph Muscat visited Israel in 2013, his first foreign visit after assuming office.[12]Israel Post andMaltaPost issued ajointpostage stamp issue to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two states on 28 January 2014.[13][14] Direct flights byAir Malta between Malta andBen Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv commenced in April 2017, and the following year Malta received 22,645 visitors from Israel according to theMalta Tourism Authority.[12] In February 2019, Malta's embassy in Tel Aviv moved to larger premises, and an April 2019The Times of Israel article described Israel–Malta relations as appearing "rock-solid" apart from some differences over thestatus of Jerusalem and theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.[12]
Relations between Israel and Malta have become more strained due to the ongoingGaza war. In April 2024, Malta supported granting full UN membership to theState of Palestine[15] and this led to a formal protest by Israel.[16] A Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel wasattacked by drones ininternational waters approximately 14–17 nautical miles (26–31 km) off Malta's coast on 2 May 2025; it has been alleged that the attack was perpetrated by the Israeli military, although this claim has not been verified.[17] Maltese Prime MinisterRobert Abela has announced that Malta will formally recognize a Palestinian state at the September 2025 meeting of theUnited Nations General Assembly.[18] MalteseMember of the European ParliamentAlex Agius Saliba has referred to the situation in Gaza as agenocide.[19]
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