Migrant Boat Tragedy Highlights Greater PLO Role
The migrant boat tragedy near Malta on Oct. 16 has rekindled the old Palestine Liberation Organization's role as the representative of all Palestinians, including refugees.
The Mediterranean island of Malta has a colorful history in the region. Malta has been described as an open-air museum. Tourists visiting the island can retrace the footsteps of St. Paul or see where the Knights of St. John fought their most famous battles.
Many crusade missions to Palestine began on this island, and it has become famous for its Knights of Malta — the order calls itself the "Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem.” Today’s Jerusalem still has many traces of the Knights of Malta.
It was not surprising, then, to see Hanan Ashrawi meet with Maltese officials in Jerusalem after the tragedy of the migrant boat that capsized near the island on Oct. 16, after being caught in high waves, and discovered by the US Navy. At least 128 migrants, including many Palestinians, were among those rescued. Malta’s prime minister stated that the Mediterranean Sea is quickly becoming a cemetery of migrants.
The choice of Ashrawi was no coincidence. Ashrawi, a Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member, was chosen by the Palestinian leadership to meet with a visiting Maltese delegation to Palestine because of her connection to Jerusalem and her Christian faith.
