Morocco condemns Gaza occupation statements as dangerous and unacceptable

Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita said Thursday in Rabat that Morocco considers statements about the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the deportation of Palestinians from this enclave to be “dangerous and unacceptable,” stressing that they “must be addressed firmly and rigorously.”

“The danger (of these statements) affects civilians in Gaza and also affects the stability of neighboring countries and the region,” the minister added in a statement to the press following a High-Level Retreat on the Future of Euro-Mediterranean Relations.

Bourita said that “the position of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, is clear, namely the firm condemnation and outright rejection of these provocative statements,” deeming it not only a violation of international law or international humanitarian law, but also an attack on the foundations of stability and that of neighboring countries.

Morocco also considers that these statements’ severity must be judged in light of what they mean for decades of efforts toward a two-state solution, the minister continued, noting that the current objective is to put an end to this trend.

Bourita then warned against the aftermath of the practices perpetrated in Al Quds, as well as the threats and incursions that are likely to “turn a political problem into a religious issue,” given the symbolism of Al Quds as a place of coexistence, and that any attack (on the Holy City) is conducive to exacerbate motivations for hatred and extremism, “the consequences of which no one can predict.”

Regarding the attacks against Syria and Qatar, the minister said that Morocco, on the instructions of His Majesty the King, had issued a statement condemning these attacks and expressing solidarity with Qatar amid the violation of its sovereignty and the peace of its people, noting that the Kingdom had supported the holding of an extraordinary Arab summit following these unacceptable attacks.

The foreign minister recalled that Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, reaffirms in all fora that these practices are unacceptable and must cease, through the use of all international community’s mechanisms to address this violation of international law and international humanitarian law.

The use of starvation and the targeting of journalists, innocent people, and defenseless civilians call into question human conscience before appealing to international law, Bourita added.

The minister affirmed that the Kingdom, while expressing its condemnation and outright rejection of these practices, reiterates its commitment, within the framework of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and regional international organizations, pointing out that peace must remain a strategic option and that the two-state solution stands as the only possible horizon for resolving the Palestinian issue through creating a Palestinian state within the June 1967 borders, with East Al-Quds as its capital.

“Without a Palestinian state, stability cannot be achieved in the region, and all measures and actions that run counter to this trend only serve to fuel tensions, hatred and extremism,” said the minister, stressing that Morocco believes that peace remains the strategic choice and that negotiations offer it a framework, that the two-state solution is the prospect and that the Palestinian state is the fundamental condition for establishing lasting peace in the Middle East.

The situation in Gaza has reached proportions that challenge not only international law and international humanitarian law, but also human conscience, international institutions, and the permanent members of the Security Council, the minister concluded.