A nine-century vocation in the Holy Land
The presence of the Order of Malta in the Holy Land is rooted in the eleventh-century work of Blessed Gerard, founder of the first Hospital of Saint John in Jerusalem – the medical institution from which the entire Hospitaller tradition of the Order originates. Almost a thousand years later, the Order’s engagement with the Palestinian people is conducted in continuity with that founding charism, in faithfulness to its motto Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum (the defence of the faith and the service of the poor and the sick).

Birth of formal diplomatic relations (2011)
Modern bilateral relations between the Sovereign Order of Malta and the State of Palestine were formally established on 20 July 2011, with the decision of the Order to open a Representative Office in the Palestinian Territories. The legal architecture of the new mission was completed on 13 November 2011 through the signing of the Accord de Siège, the Headquarters Agreement defining the privileges and immunities of the Office and of its diplomatic staff. H.E. Ambassador Patrick Renauld was the first Head of the Representation; he was succeeded in 2013 by H.E. Ambassador Justin Simpson and, from 2018, by H.E. Ambassador Michèle Burke Bowe.

Development of bilateral cooperation
Cooperation was deepened on 3 October 2014 through a Memorandum of Understanding supporting a healthcare project in the Salfit Governorate (West Bank). In 2016 a further agreement extended specialised neonatology training to the staff of the Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem in collaboration with the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital of Rome. On 29 June 2017 Ambassador Justin Simpson and Foreign Minister Riad El Malki signed a cooperation agreement in Ramallah further structuring the Order’s humanitarian engagement.

High-level institutional contacts
In October 2013, Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing received in Rome the Mayor of Bethlehem, Vera Baboun. In February 2018, Foreign Minister Riad El Malki was received by Ambassador Stefano Ronca, then Secretary General for Foreign Affairs of the Order. In December 2018, H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, was received at the Magistral Palace by Grand Master Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding extending humanitarian assistance to third countries.

In June 2019, Grand Hospitaller Prince Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel met Mr. Imad Al-Zuhairi, Director General of the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA). In May 2021, Foreign Minister El Malki was again received by Ambassador Ronca, drawing attention to the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Cooperation 2022-2025
In 2022, under the leadership of Ambassador Bowe, the Order of Malta and the State of Palestine signed the PICA Agreement – a state-to-state cooperation framework providing for joint medical missions in third countries. In September 2023 and September 2024, Grand Chancellor Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo held bilateral meetings with Palestinian representatives on the margins of the UN General Assembly. Further contacts in December 2024 (Ambassador Cantini and Foreign Minister El Malki), February 2025 (Dr. Ramzi Khouri, PNF Chairman), and September 2025 (Foreign Minister Aghabekian Shaheen).

Humanitarian engagement on the ground
Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem
The flagship of the Order’s humanitarian engagement is the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, the Order of Malta’s only purpose-built hospital, located 1,500 steps from the place where Christ was born. Re-opened in 1990 by Grand Master Fra’ Andrew Bertie at the request of Pope Saint John Paul II, it has assisted more than 112,000 births and serves a catchment area of over one million people, irrespective of religion. The only Level III NICU in the area treats more than 500 patients per year. Since October 2023, NICU admissions are up 33%. The Foundation’s Poverty Reduction Programme distributes vouchers to over 2,250 individuals each month and supports nineteen scholarships in nursing and midwifery.
Operations in Gaza
In May 2024 the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Sovereign Order of Malta signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a joint humanitarian mission in Gaza, carried out by Malteser International. Since 2024 the Order has distributed approximately 200 tons of food aid to over 25,000 civilians and established the Mar Youssef (Saint Joseph) Primary Health Care Clinic in Gaza City. A second clinic is planned in Deir al-Balah.

Conclusion
Throughout fifteen years of formal diplomatic relations, the Sovereign Order of Malta has combined patient diplomatic engagement with concrete humanitarian action – in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, and in Gaza – in close cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, the Holy See and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and a worldwide network of national associations and donors.