Casablanca – For the first time in the UN Security Council’s history, the Arab, Islamic, and Non-Aligned Groups did not issue statements of support and solidarity with the Palestinian cause because of Algeria.
During the latest quarterly UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Palestine on Monday, the Algerian delegation withdrew its support from the Palestinian cause in an apparent bid to vent its displeasure with the Non-Aligned Groups’ recognition of King Mohammed VI’s commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Algeria protested against the groups’ planned pro-Palestine collective statement since their speeches and preferred recommendations during the UN session mentioned the essential role of the Al-Quds Committee and its Chairman, King Mohammed VI, in the defense of the multi-religious character of Jerusalem and the Palestinian struggle.
Under the active leadership of its chairman, the Al-Quds Committee has intensified its work in support of the preservation of the Holy City and the protection and promotion of the Palestinian people’s rights.
Most recently, the Committee undertook various human development initiatives for the benefit of the Palestinian people, totaling $300,000 in funding, to enhance Al-Quds’ local, economic, and social growth. This came in addition to the Committee’s release of $3.6 million for the fiscal year 2021 to further its social assistance efforts in Palestinian territories.
But the Non-Aligned Group’s mention of the Committee’s well-established record in support of Palestinians’ rights appeared to be a red line for an Algerian regime that has already suffered many diplomatic losses in its regional rivalry with Morocco.
In a sense, Algeria’s rejection of the pro-Palestine statement means the ongoing struggle for the Palestinian cause is the new victim of Algiers’ long-running hostile obsession with Morocco.
With Moroccan diplomacy appearing to have outgunned its Algerian counterpart on a number of fronts — most crucially on the Western Sahara question — Algeria’s refusal to acknowledge the significance of the Al-Quds Committee’s well-documented efforts in Palestine speaks volumes about Algeria’s real priorities in foreign policy.
Many UN diplomats are said to have been perplexed by how the Algerian regime justified its rejection of the Non-Aligned Groups and the Arab OIC’s support of Palestine only because their statement contained paragraphs that acknowledged the efforts of the Al-Quds Committee and its Chairman in advancing the Palestinian cause.
Arab diplomats were also left perplexed by the Algerian ambassador’s attitude and wondered how a nation that will preside over the Arab summit in a few months can act with such disdain towards the Palestinian cause to which it has repeatedly reiterated its support in recent months.
Although Algeria has a long history of desperate low blows against Morocco, very few observers — if any at all — expected it to go as far as withdrawing its traditional backing from Palestine at the UN to simply settle political scores with Morocco.
