In his capacity as President of the Al-Quds Committee, His Majesty King Mohammed VI insistently reiterated the request for an immediate, lasting and global end to the unprecedented offensive carried out against the Gaza Strip, as well as authorization of the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout this Palestinian territory.
“Based on Our responsibilities as Sovereign of the Kingdom of Morocco – whose people ardently aspire to justice, solidarity and coexistence with other peoples – and in Our capacity as President of the Al-Quds Committee, We emphatically reiterate , Our request for an immediate, lasting and global end to this unprecedented offensive, as well as authorization for the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip,” underlined HM the King in a speech addressed to the 15th Summit Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which is being held on May 4-5 in Banjul, Republic of The Gambia.
“Faced with the brutal aggression against Gaza, our bruised hearts bleed,” said the Sovereign in substance in this Speech, which was read by the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, noting that the valiant Palestinian people stand finds himself confronted with an extremely serious situation which constitutes an affront to all of Humanity.
“This tense situation is exacerbated by an increase in systematic attacks by extremist settlers in the West Bank, at the instigation of Israeli government officials,” affirms His Majesty the King, calling for an end to any act of provocation likely to reignite the conflict, as well as a cessation of illegal measures taken unilaterally by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds Acharif and the Al-Aqsa Holy Mosque.
“These practices aim to alter the legal status as well as the civilizational character of the Holy City,” warns the Sovereign, once again expressing His “categorical rejection of all forms of forced displacement, collective punishment and acts of reprisals directed against our Palestinian brothers.
In this regard, HM the King invites the States influencing the process of resolving this conflict to assume their historical responsibility and to demonstrate common sense, by actively working to put an end to this catastrophic situation to bring the region out of cycle of violence and to put an end to the policy of exclusion and fait accompli.
“We urge them to work to create favorable conditions to relaunch a genuine peace process, leading to the internationally agreed two-state solution,” insists the Sovereign.
His Majesty the King also did not fail to recall that in His capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, and to deal with the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the contemporary world caused by the aggression against Gaza, having taken the initiative to send large quantities of aid to the Palestinians, directly to Gaza and Al-Quds, and – in coordination with the Egyptian authorities – via the Rafah crossing point.
“We were thus moved by the duty of solidarity which guides the action of our Organization as well as by the desire to contribute to the relief and assistance efforts carried out by brotherly and friendly States,” noted the Sovereign, welcoming the the action carried out on the ground, despite the difficulties, by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency in order to carry out socio-economic projects in favor of the maqdessi population and in support of certain hospitals.
HM the King also reaffirmed that the discourse on the future of the Gaza Strip is only coherent if hostilities cease and if the suffering of the Palestinian people is relieved, noting that this strip, which is part integral part of the unified Palestinian territories and therefore constitutes a Palestinian affair, must, according to the vision of the two-State solution and in accordance with relevant international resolutions, live in peace and enjoy independence.
For the Sovereign, the continued management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without achieving a realistic and lasting solution has generated frustration and destroyed all hope of peace.
“It has also caused a series of devastating disasters, with their share of humanitarian tragedies whose serious repercussions affect not only stability and peace in the Middle East but also international security,” continued His Majesty the King.
The Sovereign took this opportunity to express his deep concern about the rise of speech inciting hatred which is causing more and more victims, noting that this scourge, by fueling the circle of violence and instability, constitutes a serious threat to peace and security in many regions of the world.
His Majesty the King has, in this context, expressed the hope that the resolution proposed by Morocco and adopted, unanimously, by the General Assembly of the United Nations, on July 25, 2023, on the subject of the “Fight against hate speech: promotion of interreligious, intercultural dialogue and tolerance”, will make it possible to make a qualitative leap in terms of actions to combat the phenomenon of extremism and hate speech.
“Today, we call again for vigilance, firmness and coordination to confront these harmful abuses, with the same energy that we attach to the principles of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, tolerance, openness and respect for others,” underlined His Majesty the King.
The Sovereign also mentioned the situation in certain Islamic countries such as Libya, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and others, which are facing conflicts, recommending to the protagonists the virtuous recourse to dialogue and reconciliation which will allow end to these crises, as part of the preservation of the sovereignty of these brother countries and the defense of their national unity and territorial integrity.
With MAP
