Morocco Calls for a Rational Approach to History to Settle Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Morocco has called for a rational approach to history to settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that is nurtured by misconceptions, feeding on false, misleading ideas, and governed by narrow-minded perceptions.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict “can be resolved if delusions and nostalgia for the past are abandoned, and provided a sense of realism and confidence in the future prevails,” outlined King Mohammed VI.

This came in a message the King addressed to participants in the Fifth International Conference on Jerusalem, which opened Tuesday in Rabat. The conference is organized June 26 to 28 by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly, under the theme “The Question of Jerusalem after 50 Years of Occupation and 25 Years of the Oslo Accords”.

“What is required, therefore, is a rational approach to history through the unleashing of a constructive dynamic that charts the way forward towards a better future; what is needed is a break with negative, destructive ideas that take their proponents one step back,” the Sovereign said in his message to the conference.

The misconceptions, false and misleading ideas and narrow-minded perceptions have all made of the conflict a difficult, complex issue, King Mohammed VI underlined, deploring that “this conflict has lasted for far too long, causing a great deal of sorrow and pain. It has caused and is still causing far too many innocent victims and has ruined many opportunities not only for development, but also for a free and safe life for many generations. It has also created deeper rifts and divisions within the international community”.

However, despite the conflict duration and the current stalemate, one should not give in to apathy or indifference; nor should the stalemate lead to negative attitudes or unjust decisions that deepen the feelings of frustration and resentment among the Palestinians, plunging them into situations conducive to radicalism and despair.

The Sovereign argued that the international community is duty-bound today to pool efforts at a faster pace to put the issue on the table with a view to reaching a negotiated, safe and fair settlement. “This should be achieved through an orderly process based on a realistic vision and a specific timeline, using the existing frame of reference to which the parties concerned would commit in a serious, proactive and responsible manner,” he insisted.

Calling on the influential global powers, particularly the United States and dominant regional countries, to play their role in a responsible, equitable manner in their respective sphere of influence, the King underscored that “the lack of political prospects in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict – which is compounded by unilateral decisions and practices the Palestinians find provocative – is the main reason for the tense situations that lead to acts of mutual violence and to the excessive use of force by the Israeli occupation forces”.

King Mohammed VI, who recalled that Morocco had condemned and rejected the dangerous Israeli behavior during the Palestinians’ peaceful Great March of Return at the Gaza border, pointed out that the behavior of Israel, whose forces fired live bullets directly at the demonstrators, killing dozens and wounding hundreds of unarmed Palestinian civilians, is incompatible with international law and exacerbates the sufferings of the Palestinians.

In his message, King Mohammed VI reaffirmed Morocco’s strong commitment to the Palestinian cause as well as its unwavering support and full solidarity with the Palestinian brothers in keeping with the irreversible pledge Morocco has made to maintain its support until the Palestinian people regain their inalienable rights.