King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, called for a global alliance of all active forces united in pacifism and the values of tolerance and coexistence, with a view to protecting the City of Peace and preserving its cultural heritage common to all mankind.
In a Message addressed to the participants in a High Level Conference on the protection and support of the City of Al Quds, which opened its work on Sunday in Cairo, the Sovereign underlined that “in accordance with the Appeal launched under Our impetus during the International Conference on Al-Quds, in 2009, in Rabat, We call again for a global alliance of all the living forces rallied to pacifism and the values of tolerance and coexistence, in order to protect the City of Peace and to preserve its cultural heritage common to all Humanity”.
Highlighting the unique place that the Arab and Muslim peoples reserve in their hearts for the city of Al Quds, the King affirmed, in this message which was read out by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, that the concern for defending this City “must be neither circumstantial nor circumstantial. On the contrary, it must be part of a global logic involving impactful diplomatic initiatives and actions on the ground carried out within the Holy City itself”.
“In fact, for more than 25 years and under Our personal supervision, the concrete action carried out on the ground by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, the executive arm of the Al-Quds Committee, under the Islamic, aims to provide support to the Sacred City and preserve its civilizational cachet”, continued the Sovereign, noting that the Agency carries out, to this end, social and development projects, intended for all fringes. of the maqdissi society.
“This is how the Agency was able to implement more than 200 projects, at an estimated cost of approximately $65 million. Provided 100% by Morocco under the budget heading +State Donations+, the financing of these activities is covered by approximately 70% of donations from institutions and individuals”, he specified.
In this regard, the Sovereign emphasized the need to pool Arab and Islamic efforts, with a view to increased involvement in the dynamics of protection and support provided to the city of Al-Quds Acharif.
In his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, he reaffirmed, on this occasion, the constant commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Palestinian cause in general and the question of Al-Quds in particular.
“We have a capital interest in the Holy City. It is that, as far as We are concerned, We are attached to it as to Our first national Cause and We set up its protection, as We have underlined on various occasions, as an intangible principle of Our foreign policy”, maintained the Sovereign .
Strengthened by its unwavering commitment, Morocco remains firmly convinced that the Palestinian cause is “a fundamentally political issue and that, as such, it constitutes the keystone for a lasting and comprehensive settlement that will bring peace and stability to the Middle East region,” the King said, noting that within the framework of international legality and in accordance with the principle of the Two-State Solution agreed by the international community, it is important to achieve a just settlement of the issue. Palestinian.
The Sovereign underlined that it is ultimately a question of moving towards an unblocking of the political situation, likely to open up prospects for the future imbued with optimism and conducive to peace, security and prosperity in the region.
“To do this, it is important to respect the values of living together and to keep in mind that cultural, religious and doctrinal differences are a source of enrichment for society as a whole, a vector of unity and in no way a factor of division”, he considered, recalling that it is in this spirit that the “Call of Al-Quds” was drawn up that “We signed with His Holiness Pope Francis, in Rabat, on March 30, 2019”.
“In particular, we stressed the need to preserve the Holy City of Jerusalem/Al-Quds Acharif as the common heritage of humanity and, above all, for the followers of the three monotheistic religions, as a meeting place and a symbol of peaceful coexistence. , where mutual respect and dialogue are cultivated,” wrote the Sovereign in his message.
Likewise, the King affirmed that the Kingdom of Morocco, convinced as it is that peace in the Middle East remains an essential strategic option, will continue its efforts, by taking advantage of its means and its privileged relations with all the parties and the acting international powers.
“It will thus lend its support, in particular, to any international effort intended to relaunch the process of dialogue and negotiations, considered as the only way to put an end to this conflict and to ensure that security, stability and prosperity prevail in the Middle East,” he insisted.
The Sovereign did not fail, on this occasion, to reaffirm His “full and complete support for the Palestinian National Authority, under the leadership of Our Brother, His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, in its efforts to realize the ambitions of the Palestinian people. Palestinian brother who yearns for freedom and independence, unity and prosperity”.
Highlighting the importance of this high-level Conference and the difficult context in which it is being held, he called for collective mobilization to protect the Holy City of Al-Quds against violations aimed at erasing the singularity of its civilizational stamp, to alter its legal status, the protection of which is nevertheless the subject of a clear commitment in the related resolutions of the Security Council.
“All unilateral measures that seek to impose an illegitimate state of affairs in Al-Quds and its surroundings threaten to compromise the legal status of the City, alter its demographic structure and blur its historical dimension as a multicultural and multi-confessional city” , pointed out the King, considering that the systematic actions, carried out with great disregard for international law and UN resolutions, do not make it possible to establish a climate of confidence and they undermine the very possibility of reaching a lasting settlement based on the existence of two States living side by side in peace and security.
“It is undeniable that the difficult situation of the Holy City of Al-Quds cannot be considered separately from the general context linked to the evolution of the Palestinian question”, added the Sovereign, noting that the extremists on both sides others are taking advantage of the breakdown in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and the persistent blockage of the peace process to stir up conflicts, feed religious sensibilities and provoke the rise of tensions in the City of Al-Quds.
“Also, from a fundamentally political dispute, this conflict risks turning into a real religious confrontation, with potentially disastrous consequences for the entire region”, the King said, affirming that to effectively preserve the city of Al-Quds from carried out aimed at altering its history and its legal status, “intentions like actions must be sincere and deviate from empty rhetoric, idle one-upmanship and narrow calculations”.