HM the King Addresses Message to Chairman of UN Committee on Exercise of Inalienable Rights of Palestinian People

HM King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, addressed a message to Chairman of the United Nations 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 November 29 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 Sheikh Niang, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Distinguished Committee members, Ladies and Gentlemen, This year’s commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is taking place in the midst of dangerous, unprecedented circumstances, which have been unfolding in the Middle East region since October 7, 2023, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories. This situation is the result of the fierce escalation and large-scale armed confrontations, which have claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and wounded many others, mostly women and children. There has also been massive destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, places of worship and infrastructure, not to mention a complete siege on Gaza, in flagrant violation of international law and humanitarian values. Despite calls for de-escalation and restraint, and for allowing medicines and other relief aid to enter the territory, Israel has continued its indiscriminate carpet-bombing, together with the incursion of ground forces into the Gaza Strip, thus displacing more than a million and a half Palestinians and leading to further killings and devastation. The persistence of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and the continued targeting of civilians are calling out to the conscience of the international community, particularly the influential powers and the UN Security Council, which is the international mechanism responsible for maintaining security, stability and peace in the world. They should put an end to the current state of division, speak with one voice and take a clear, binding decision to impose an immediate, sustainable ceasefire, making sure international law and international humanitarian law are respected.   Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, During the extraordinary joint Arab and Islamic Summit held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on November 11, 2023, I specified four urgent priorities to stop the killing of humans, whom Almighty God has honored, and I would like to stress them again today: – First: Bring about urgent, tangible de-escalation and stop bloodshed and military attacks to pave the way for a permanent, verifiable ceasefire; – Second: Ensure the protection of civilians and prevent their targeting, in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law; – Third: Allow for the steady delivery of humanitarian aid, in sufficient quantities, to the inhabitants of Gaza; – Fourth: Create a political environment that can help revive the two-state solution. The recent escalation is an inevitable consequence of the political stalemate observed in the Palestinian issue. This question will remain key to peace, stability and prosperity in the region. On many occasions, I have insisted that resolving this dispute in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and those of the Security Council, on the basis of the two-state solution, is the pathway to just, comprehensive peace, security and a dignified life for all peoples in the region. The recent escalation is also the result of Israel’s systematic, extremist practices, unilateral measures and repeated provocations in Al-Quds, which undermine efforts to calm the situation; they also ruin international initiatives designed to end tensions and frustration, and to break the deadly cycle of violence. Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, The Israeli military reprisals in the Gaza Strip have shown serious violations of the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law. I therefore reject and condemn all these violations, together with the policy of collective punishment, forced displacement and any attempt to impose new facts on the ground. I wish to insist, in this regard, that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian territories and of the unified Palestinian State. I also emphasize the urgent need for our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip to have safe, adequate, sustainable and unfettered access to relief aid. For that reason, I sent urgent humanitarian aid to the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, as a contribution from the Kingdom of Morocco to the international community’s relief and aid efforts. This is in keeping with the principle of solidarity characterizing our foreign policy. That aid was delivered to the afflicted population through the Rafah crossing, and significant shipments of food aid and medical supplies were also sent to Al-Quds Al-Sharif. Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, Notwithstanding the sense of gloom and the lack of prospects for a settlement in the Middle East, I am still hopeful the international community will make concerted efforts to revive the peace process. Our perception today, as it has always been, is that peace is a strategic option for all peoples in the region. It is the only way to guarantee security and stability for all the peoples concerned and to protect them from wars and violence. The key to the peace I yearn for is the two-state solution; it is the realistic solution agreed by the international community, and it can be achieved only through the negotiation process. I should like to take this opportunity to reaffirm Morocco’s unwavering position regarding the just cause of the Palestinian people and our country’s support for their legitimate right to establish their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. As Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Al-Quds Committee, I wish to insist, once again, on the need to preserve the unique character of the city of Al-Quds and to refrain from changing its legal, cultural, historical or demographic status as a spiritual center for the followers of the three monotheistic religions. Before concluding, allow me to commend you on the sincere efforts you are making to support the just Palestinian cause. May Almighty God grant you every success. Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.”