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Rabat – King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, strongly condemned the unacceptable Israeli policies in a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The Moroccan monarch insisted on the need for resolute action on the part of the international community to force Israel to cease its extreme security measures at the Al-Aqsa mosque.
The king opened his letter describing Israel’s “continued, systematic violations in the city of Al-Quds Al Sharif and around the Al-Aqsa mosque.” He claimed that Israel had “blatantly breached international law,” calling Israel’s recent actions at the site a series of “provocative measures,” which he outlined below:
1 – It staged unprecedented celebrations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the annexation of Al-Quds. On Sunday 28 May 2017, the Israeli government held a meeting in a tunnel under the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in which it approved development plans for the Old City, including the digging of more tunnels, the installation of elevators, and the construction of corridors.
2 – The Israeli government introduced a bill at the Knesset requiring Arab schools to teach Israeli curricula and use textbooks to Judaize education in the occupied city of Al Quds.
3 – Members of the Knesset submitted a draft bill on Greater Jerusalem, which aims to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as other areas in East Jerusalem.
4 – The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the ‘unified Jerusalem’ bill, which undermines chances to reach an agreement on the city’s future.
5 – The Israeli Knesset approved a preliminary reading of a bill that bans the adhân (call to prayer) in Jerusalem and the surrounding Arab neighborhoods.
The monarch accused Israel of “confiscating Palestinian land,” “denying Palestinians the right to build,” and “carrying out arbitrary evictions” against the Palestinians. He then launched into a critical assessment of Israel’s reaction to the deaths of two Israeli officers in East Jerusalem on June 14 and, in particular, the installation of metal detectors at the mosque’s entrances.
“On Friday July 14, 2017, [Israel] proscribed the Friday prayers, closed Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshipers for three days and, for the first time in half a century, banned the call to prayer. It also detained, for several hours, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestinian territories,” His Majesty said.
He warned that these and other actions he called “provocative” could lead to retaliatory gestures on the part of Palestinians, who feel provoked, and that those reactions could have far-reaching consequences to the global community.
Acting in his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, the King urged Guterres to compel Israel to discontinue their “illegal practices.”
“I insist on the need for resolute action on the part of the international community and the influential powers to compel Israel to put an end to those practices,” the Kind said, “through which it seeks to impose a fait accompli and decide singlehandedly the fate of the City of Jerusalem – an issue which should be addressed within the context of final status negotiations.”
In closing, King Mohammed VI reiterated Morocco’s national commitment to peace both within and outside of its borders. Referring to the “complex, turbulent times for the region,” the Monarch urged for UN intervention in the situation, expressing his optimism that an effective de-escalation of Palestinian-Israeli tensions could be achieved.
Finally, the King pleaded the case for a Palestinian homeland “along the lines of 4 June, 1967, with East Jerusalem as their capital.” He praised Guterres’ political astuteness and experience and expressed his confidence that he could set the peace process back on track.
