Rabat – The US has hailed the leadership of King Mohammed VI as chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, highlighting his efforts to promote the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI plays a “valuable” role in supporting the Palestinian people and advancing the two-state solution and peace in the Middle East, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday at the Foreign Press Center in Washington.
“Morocco has a unique relationship with the Palestinians, of course, King Mohammed VI is the chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and we appreciate Morocco’s role in aiding and assisting the Palestinian people and in supporting the two-state solution,” Price said.
Recalling Morocco’s normalization with Israel, Price highlighted the North African country’s regional “leadership.” The resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries has created “real benefits” and “new opportunities for peace and prosperity,” he argued.
Noting US efforts to broker a peaceful resolution to the Middle East’s longest conflict, Price said that his country “will continue to engage with Israel and other countries in the region and beyond to try to expand this circle of normalization opportunities.”
Advancing Arab-Israeli normalization
He continued, “We will look for other opportunities to strengthen cooperation between these countries and between Israel and its neighbors.” When asked about the Arab-Israeli Negev Forum, the U.S. spokesperson recalled that the members of the Forum established several working groups focused on six key areas relating to regional cooperation.
Through multiple meetings, the group comprising diplomats from Arab countries and Israel will seek to establish and reinforce regional cooperation on issues of security, clean energy, food, and water security, health, tourism, and education.
According to Price, the working groups “seek to advance coordination initiatives among the founding members of the forum on regional integration, cooperation, and development for the benefit of the peoples of the region, including of course initiatives that would strengthen the Palestinian economy and improve the quality of life of the Palestinian people.”
“The Negev Forum process is about building bridges and creating opportunities,” he said, underscoring the importance of working towards a genuine resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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