Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, awarded, on September 7, His Majesty the King’s Advisor, André Azoulay, with the Presidential Medal of Honor, in a grand ceremony held at the Presidential Palace.
On this occasion, Azoulay expressed his “great pride” in serving His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and before Him, His late father His Majesty King Hassan II.
“In Morocco, the land of Islam, I am a proud Jew, and I practice Judaism fully,” stated Azoulay, whose career and life have always been rooted in and defined by his Moroccan identity and the high responsibilities entrusted to him.
His Majesty’s Advisor stressed that “this award is a source of great hope and immense pride for the Kingdom, and Moroccan civilization and exceptionalism, which is being celebrated today and embodies the values of peace and coexistence.”
“All Moroccans have been honored today, as this is a tribute to my dear country, Morocco, with all its, among others, Arab, Amazigh, and Jewish tributaries,” emphasized Azoulay, underlining that the Kingdom, under the Wise Leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, is “the clear embodiment of coexistence and tolerance in peace and harmony.”
For his part, the Israeli President praised Azoulay, describing him as “an advocate for peace and dialogue, a clerk of the State, and Advisor to His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the late His Majesty King Hassan II.”
The Presidential Medal of Honor is Israel’s highest civilian decoration awarded by the President of Israel. Initiated by former Israeli President Shimon Peres in 2012, the medal has so far been awarded to twenty-nine personalities, including Henry Kissinger, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Angela Merkel, among others.
During the awarding ceremony, Azoulay was praised for his advocacy for peace and dialogue, promoting links of communication and rapprochement between cultures, civilizations, and religions, and understanding between peoples, particularly Palestinians and Israelis.
“A proud Jew in the land of Islam, a life dedicated to promoting dialogue and tireless action in the service of peace, driven in this by the vision of His Majesty the King, and radiating wherever he is the Moroccan culture, deeply rooted in the values of tolerance and living together.”
Azoulay has always encouraged Jewish Moroccans in Morocco, Israel, and around the world to preserve their identity and heritage on a spiritual, philosophical, and moral level. Today, for Jewish Moroccans, their Moroccan identity is a source of inspiration.
His Majesty the King’s Advisor is also known for his historic commitment to peace between Palestinians and Israelis and a two-state solution in which sovereignty, dignity, and justice resonate in the same way and with the same demands for two populations.
The ceremony was attended by several personalities from Israel’s political, economic, cultural, and academic fields, as well as Head of the Moroccan liaison office in Tel Aviv, Abderrahim Bayoud, and the President of Essaouira’s Communal Council.
Azoulay’s award of the Israeli President’s Medal of Honor is a recognition of the tireless efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of Al Quds Committee, to promote interfaith dialogue and the Middle East peace process, and defend the two-state solution as the basis for any resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
