Royal speeches

HM the king Sends Message to Chairman of Committee on Exercise of Inalienable Rights of Palestinian People

HM King Mohammed VI sent a message to the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Cheikh Niang, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, celebrated on 29 November each year.

Here follows the full text of the Royal Message:

 

"Praise be to God,

May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin

Your Excellency Cheikh Niang, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I should like to reiterate my thanks and appreciation to the Chairman of the Committee and its esteemed members for their earnest efforts to enable the Palestinian people to enjoy their inalienable rights, implementing, to this end, annual executive programs supervised by the Committee. My country has had the honor of hosting one of the Committee's activities, namely the 5th International Conference on al-Quds, which took place from 26 to 28 June 2018.

I should like to take this opportunity to reiterate our solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and reaffirm the Kingdom of Morocco’s immutable position and unwavering support for the Palestinians in their endeavours to achieve their just, legitimate rights and establish their independent State along the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. These rights are in accordance with international legitimacy and the relevant UN resolutions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The international community is of the view that a just, comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian question, and an end to the conflict in the Middle East, cannot be achieved save through a two-State solution, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

After years during which the peace process has stalled, negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis have come to a standstill, and illegal, unilateral measures have been taken in the occupied Palestinian territories, we are entitled to wonder about the fate of the two-State solution. The latter is the most appropriate strategic option that was endorsed by the international community as a lasting and just solution to the conflict.

It is no secret that practices which are contrary to international legitimacy resolutions and international humanitarian law have been continuing in the occupied Palestinian territories. They include further settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, depriving Palestinians of a dignified life, systematic incursions into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and other practices aimed at establishing new facts on the ground. Not only does this situation pose a real threat to the chances for peace, but it is also leading the region towards greater tension, violence and instability, prompting forebodings of a future of religious conflict and hatred.

With that in mind, the Kingdom of Morocco, which has always been committed to the principles and objectives of the United Nations and defended international legitimacy, reaffirms that the two-State solution remains the basis for ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and achieving comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Any effort to revive the peace process will fail to achieve its objectives unless an end is put to the settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In this regard, I wish to reiterate my call to the Security Council and all members of the international community to act swiftly to safeguard the legal and historical status of the occupied Palestinian territories, and to implement UN resolution 2334/2016 which calls for ceasing settlement activities and which considers that settlements have no legal validity.

We, in the Kingdom of Morocco, consider East Jerusalem part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian State. Therefore, this is one the final status issues which must be resolved through negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides. It is also a critical part in the conflict in the entire Middle East and a core element of the political solution in any settlement between the parties.

Therefore, as Chairman of the al-Quds Committee, I have been calling for the unity and inviolability of al-Quds al-Sharif to be safeguarded. I have also stressed the spiritual significance and special vocation of Jerusalem as a city of peace. This position was reiterated in the 'Appeal for Jerusalem’, which I signed on 30 March 2019 with His Holiness Pope Francis during his visit to the Kingdom of Morocco. Together we stressed the need to preserve the Holy City as a common heritage of humanity, given that it is a meeting place, a symbol of peaceful coexistence between the followers of the three monotheistic faiths and a centre for upholding the values of mutual respect and dialogue.

In keeping with that conviction, I have rejected any unilateral measures that affect Jerusalem or undermine the symbolic significance of the city, or its legal, cultural and religious status. We consider any such measures not only to be null and void, but also contrary to Security Council resolutions 476 and 478.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

More than two million Palestinians have been suffering from collective punishment in the Gaza Strip and from the repercussions of a 12-year blockade which has further exacerbated their living conditions, healthcare and access to services. I have asked, on many occasions, that this siege be lifted because I am convinced that the continuation of the blockade imposed on this part of the Palestinian territories will only increase the sense of frustration, despair and instability.

Moreover, after years of stalled Palestinian reconciliation, I cannot but reiterate my call to our Palestinian brothers of all persuasions to genuinely engage in reconciliation efforts in order to overcome the current state of division. It is weakening the Palestinian position and does not contribute to achieving the Palestinians’ project of establishing their independent state.

I wish to take this opportunity to call for the consolidation of the institutions of the Palestinian State, including the Palestinian government, thereby enabling it to fulfil its obligations towards the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. I reaffirm our full support for the efforts of the Palestinian National Authority, under the leadership of my brother, His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, to fulfil the aspirations of our Palestinian brothers for freedom, unity and prosperity.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In recent years, successive crises in the Middle East have deflected attention from the Palestinian question. The settlement of the Palestinian problem is the backbone of regional stability. Therefore, I wish to insist on the need to put this question back at the centre of international priorities, and to refrain from giving in to the fait accompli, which serves no one.

It is common knowledge that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essentially a political dispute. No other approach, however important, may provide an alternative to a comprehensive, equitable political solution that is consistent with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Before concluding, I should like to commend your esteemed Committee on its earnest efforts. I reiterate my full support for the Committee so that it may press ahead with its praiseworthy endeavours to achieve the lofty goals to which we are all looking forward: namely security, peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East.

Thank you.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh."

MAP 29 November 2019