The Israeli Foreign Minister has expressed "regret" at the shooting of Maltese national Bianca Zammit by Israeli soldiers in Gaza, saying "the inquiry" into the incident was now "in front of the Attorney General's office".
"We regret it when civilians are injured and we hope the results of the inquiry will be made public soon," Avigdor Lieberman said following talks with Foreign Minister Tonio Borg.
Ms Zammit was shot in the leg by Israeli soldiers who opened fire on Gazans protesting against the imposition of a 300-metre security zone along Gaza's border with Israel, effectively denying them the right to till the land.
Mr Lieberman did not say whether Israel considered Ms Zammit's peaceful actions - she and others in the protest were unarmed - an act of provocation. However, he did use that term to describe the latest incident during which Israeli commandos killed a number of peace activists when they raided a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza.
He denied there was a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and defended his position by saying there were "very expensive restaurants in Gaza" and the "iPhone was seen in Gaza before it appeared in Tel Aviv".
"We only blockade armaments. Food and other aid is free," Mr Lieberman said.
Taking the cue from Mr Lieberman's reply, Dr Borg reiterated Malta's view that the Gaza blockade was "unsustainable" and welcomed Israel's latest policy change to ease the restrictions.
Dr Borg said the investigation into the shooting incident involving Ms Zammit was progressing well and Malta would "await the outcome of the investigation" before considering what action to take.
Iran was also discussed between the two foreign ministers, with Dr Borg insisting that the policies of the Iranian government were creating a threat to the region and Malta supported the new UN sanctions against the Islamic republic.
Mr Lieberman yesterday also visited President George Abela and the two held private talks.
The Israeli Foreign Minister's visit to Valletta yesterday was characterised by a heavy police presence after protesters had tried to block his access to the Prime Minister's Office at the Auberge de Castille on Thursday.
There were no incidents yesterday but a restaurant owner in St George's Square was miffed because for more than an hour the police blocked access to the square while Mr Lieberman was meeting Dr Abela at the Palace.