King Mohammed VI Renews Morocco’s Support to Palestinian People

King Mohammed VI has renewed Morocco’s unwavering support to the Palestinian cause and sincere solidarity with the Palestinian people following the carnage perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces which used live ammunition during peaceful marches staged Friday on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of Land Day.

“Following the painful events of the past two days in the Palestinian territories, which left several dead and wounded by the bullets of the Israeli occupation forces, among Palestinians who participated in peaceful marches on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of Land Day, allow me to express to you, Excellency Mr. President, and through you to all the components of the brotherly Palestinian people, my deep condolences and sincere compassion for the loss of these innocent lives,” stated King Mohammed VI in a message he addressed Sunday to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“On this painful occasion, I express the full and sincere solidarity of the Kingdom of Morocco in the difficult circumstances of the Palestinian cause, and its constant support for the defense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to independence, freedom and the establishment of an independent State within the borders of June 4, 1967, with Al-Quds as its capital,” the Monarch pointed out in his message.

He assured the Palestinian President that as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee – an offshoot of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation- he will continue his “diplomatic and field activities to defend Al-Quds Al-Sharif, preserve its legal status, protect its Arab-Islamic identity and support the resistance of its faithful inhabitants”.

Israeli forces on Friday killed 16 Gaza Palestinians and wounded over 1,400 others as peaceful marches were staged across the Palestinian territories to mark the 42nd anniversary of Israeli forces takeover of the Palestinian land in the buildup to the establishment of Israel.

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing Morocco’s strong condemnation of the Israeli occupation forces for using live ammunition against unarmed Palestinians who were participating in peaceful protests.

“Morocco denounces the use of excessive force by the Israeli occupation forces, which ignored the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, and stresses that the situation in the region requires stability and restraint away from any act of violence or escalation,” the Foreign Ministry said in the statement published Saturday night.

Morocco reiterates its support for the Palestinian Authority, its solidarity with the Palestinian people to recover their legitimate rights and establish their independent state with Al Quds as its capital, the statement added.

On Friday, the UN chief Antonio Guterres called for a probe into the deadly clashes along Israel-Gaza border while the Security Council convened an emergency meeting so its members could be briefed on the deadly incidents.

A statement issued by a UN spokesman said the Secretary-General appealed to those concerned to refrain from any act that could lead to further casualties, particularly measures that could place civilians in harm’s way.

“This tragedy underlines the urgency of revitalizing the peace process aiming at creating the conditions for a return to meaningful negotiations for a peaceful solution that will allow Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side peacefully and in security,” the statement said.