Morocco should soon host a state visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a first for the Kingdom, but also for Israel since the signing of the Tripartite Agreement with the United States. The invitation was made by King Mohammed VI who intends to take a concrete step for peace in the region, particularly with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a letter of response to the Israeli Prime Minister (who had sent King Mohammed VI a missive recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara), the Sovereign indeed invited the head of the Israeli government for a state visit to Morocco.
This visit, underlined the Sovereign, will be an opportunity to promote the prospects of peace for all the peoples of the region, in accordance with the spirit of the Morocco-Israel-United States Tripartite Declaration, including “the principles that should guide the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.
With this statement in the letter addressed to Benjamin Netanyahu, King Mohammed VI underlines and reaffirms his historic role as a maker of peace and security in the region and his pragmatic approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the sense that negotiations and dialogue are the one and only means of achieving a just settlement of this issue.
Morocco has always defended the Palestinian cause, even resuming its diplomatic relations with Israel, mentioning it clearly at every opportunity. It positions itself for the two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and two countries, two peoples living together in safety and security.
The Kingdom thus considers that peace is the only strategic option to be sought and applied in the Middle East to guarantee and preserve the stability and tranquility of the peoples. By adopting this fair and balanced position, Morocco is once again demonstrating common sense and reason by continuing to play an active role in bringing the peoples of the region closer together.
This is reflected in this initiative to welcome Benjamin Netanyahu to Morocco, which will serve to strengthen Moroccan-Israeli relations, which will thus set an example and open new horizons for the entire region.
It should be noted that this is not the first official visit by an Israeli head of government to an Arab and Muslim country. Benjamin Netanyahu had made state visits to Egypt, Jordan. Before him, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the United Arab Emirates in 2020, becoming the first Israeli head of government to officially visit a Gulf country and had also visited Bahrain and Oman.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Morocco will certainly help ease tensions and relaunch the peace process, which is currently at an impasse, giving way to the conflict that threatens the entire region.
Morocco has three major assets that no other country can boast of, and which create this privileged position halfway between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Privileged ties unite King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan Jewish community residing in Morocco and around the world, including in Israel, being the second living force of the Israeli population.
The King is at the same time the chairman of the Al Quds Committee which watches over the interests of the Palestinians and has elevated the Palestinian cause to the same rank as his first national cause, the Sahara.
The Kingdom has always been a model of living together for different religions, preserving Jewish places of worship in particular, but also Christian ones. It is therefore in this same spirit that Rabat is positioning itself for the Holy City of Al Quds in an approach where the three monotheistic religions must all be preserved.