The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, stressed, on October 11 in Cairo before the extraordinary session of the Arab League (AL) Council of Foreign Ministers on the situation in the Gaza Strip, that His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, has never ceased to call for an end to conflict and violence, in favor of peace, cooperation and prosperity in the region.
Chairing the meeting, which was devoted to examining the actions to be taken at the Arab level to stop the escalation in the Palestinian territories and the targeting of civilians, Minister Bourita affirmed Morocco’s commitment to all Arab and international efforts aimed at achieving the aspirations of Palestinians to establish an independent state with East Al-Quds as its capital based on the June 4, 1967 borders, in accordance with the internationally agreed two-state solution.
The Moroccan minister stressed that His Majesty the King has always stressed that the security and stability of the Middle East require good offices and intense ongoing efforts to rid the region of conflict and violence and promote peace, and cooperation.
Minister Bourita also reiterated the Kingdom’s full and unwavering support for the State of Palestine and its legitimate national authority under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, for the defense of the rights of all Palestinians and the realization of their aspirations to freedom, independence, and a dignified life.
The Moroccan official reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment, under the Leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to just and comprehensive peace in accordance with the resolutions of international legality as an inescapable strategic choice.
“The bloody and horrific events that broke out on October 7, and the unprecedented violence that accompanied them, show that the region is facing an unprecedented situation likely to result in unforeseeable repercussions and fuel a discourse of appalling systematic extermination”, stressed the Moroccan minister.
Minister Bourita recalled that His Majesty the King had constantly warned against the danger of blocking the political perspective of the Palestinian cause and the continuous violations and unilateral measures in Al-Quds and the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Foreign Minister stated that the Sovereign stressed that these unacceptable actions feed extremism, nurture the culture of violence, fan the flames of conflict, undermine appeasement efforts, and ruin the prospect of the two-state solution as well as the chances of a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.
In this regard, Minister Bourita recalled that per the High Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him, the Kingdom, in its capacity as Chairman of the 160th session of the Arab League (AL) Council at the ministerial level, had called for an emergency meeting for consultation and coordination on the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip and the outbreak of military acts targeting civilians, in addition to examining ways of preventing any dangerous escalation.
On this occasion, the Moroccan minister outlined a four-point roadmap for dealing with the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, emphasizing the urgent need to spare no effort to achieve peace and put an end to the bloodshed through collective or individual action with the international forces involved, to bring the clashes to an immediate halt and mitigate the escalation, while working to protect civilians, prevent them from being targeted, and put an end to provocations and unilateral actions to avoid any further aggravation of the situation.
In a similar context, Minister Bourita emphasized the importance of assessing the urgent health and humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the affected Palestinian territories, and planning an emergency meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers for Health to address these needs.
The official also called on the international parties in favor of the peace process, including the International Quartet, to embark on genuine consultations aimed at relaunching the peace process, in order to draft a roadmap with practical objectives, including a timetable for initiating serious negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to reach an agreement on the final formula for a solution to the Palestinian question, in line with international and Arab benchmarks.
The Minister also stressed the importance of reinforcing the negotiating capacity of the brotherly Palestinians by speeding up the process of national reconciliation, putting an end to discord, and ensuring that the supreme Palestinian interest prevails, urging Egypt to continue its sustained efforts to achieve effective and lasting Palestinian reconciliation.
During this emergency meeting, the Arab League (AL) Council at the Foreign Ministers level had adopted a resolution demanding an immediate halt to the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings and calling on all parties to exercise restraint.
The resolution warned of “the catastrophic humanitarian and security repercussions of the continuation and extension of the escalation”, calling for urgent and effective action to enforce international law and guarantee the region’s security and stability against the risk of expansion of violence at everyone’s expense.
The Arab Foreign Ministers also condemned the killing of civilians on both sides and expressed their categorical rejection of any action targeting them, while emphasizing the imperative need to ensure civilians’ protection, in accordance with universal human values and respect for international humanitarian law and the laws of war.
