Algeria Opposes Reference to Morocco in Statement on Al-Quds, Hinders its Adoption

Algeria’s permanent representative to the UN hindered, on Saturday, the adoption of a statement of the Arab Group in New York on the recent Israeli aggression against the holy sites in Al-Quds, merely because it referred to the Al-Quds Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and to the action of its Chairman, His Majesty King Mohammed VI. The delegation of Palestine circulated a draft statement for adoption by the Arab Group in New York, condemning the Israeli aggression in the Holy City and  recognizing the important role of the Al-Quds Committee in defending the Holy City and preserving its identity. The Moroccan delegation strongly supported this draft statement and did not propose any changes or amendments. All the member states of the Arab Group supported the text of the document as submitted by the Palestinian delegation, with the exception of the Algerian ambassador. True to his authorities’ chronic hatred for Morocco, the latter opposed referring to the Al-Quds Committee and tried to include a mention of his president’s support for the Palestinian cause. Morocco’s Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Omar Hilale, strongly condemned Algeria’s umpteenth maneuver to attack Morocco and its symbols, stressing that it is not in the habits, nor in the ethics, and even less in the competences of the Arab ambassadors in New York, to comment or criticize the responsibilities devolved to the Arab Heads of State and Government. The Moroccan diplomat slammed and condemned the attitude of the new Algerian ambassador who tries to question the important role of the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by HM King Mohammed VI, as accepted and promoted for several decades by the Heads of State and Government of Arab, Islamic and Non-Aligned Movement countries. Ambassador Hilale recalled that no later than March 9, 2022, the Arab Ministerial Committee for International Action against Illegal Israeli Measures and Policies in Occupied Al-Quds praised the efforts of HM King Mohammed VI in defending the Holy City.  He has, in this regard, exposed the duplicity of Algerian diplomacy which had accepted this language on the Al-Quds Committee in Cairo, with the participation of its Minister of Foreign Affairs, while opposing it in New York. As Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, HM King Mohammed VI works tirelessly on the diplomatic and political levels and on the ground to defend the Holy City and preserve its religious, cultural, legal and historical status, while improving the living conditions and resilience of its population through its executive arm, Bayt Mal Al-Quds, Hilale recalled. Morocco finances more than 86% of Bayt Mal Al Quds while Algeria does not contribute at all, he insisted. The Moroccan diplomat also frustrated the desperate attempt of the Algerian ambassador to include a reference to the Algerian president’s support for the Palestinian cause, explaining that the draft document focused on the particular situation in Al Quds Al Sharif, to which Algeria has no input, unlike HM King Mohammed VI and HM King Abdullah of Jordan, under the Hashemite custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Ambassador Hilale did not object to an Egyptian proposal to refer to the role of Egypt and its President Abdel Fattah Al Sissi, given the really important contribution of this country to the Palestinian issue. He also denounced the shameful politicization of the Palestinian issue by Algeria, by including it in its hateful campaign against Morocco and subjecting it to political bidding in its repeated and condemnable attacks against the institutions of the Kingdom. The stubborn persistence of the new Algerian ambassador to counter anything Moroccan was the reason for the failure of the Arab Group’s bid to adopt the Statement condemning the Israeli aggression against Al-Quds, although it simply reaffirmed a language agreed upon decades ago. This provoked a large wave of indignation among Arab ambassadors. Algeria’s obstructive attitude on a vital issue for the Arab world has raised real concerns and apprehensions within the Arab Group about the inclination of Algiers to sacrifice the Palestinian issue so as to satisfy its relentlessness against Morocco and its institutions. For its part, the OIC Group of Ambassadors in New York adopted a similar statement condemning the Israeli aggression against Al-Quds, presented by the Palestinian delegation.  The Statement pays tribute to the role of the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by HM King Mohammed VI and does not refer to Algeria, as it simply has no contribution to make to the Holy City. Morocco strongly supported this draft Statement as did all OIC members. Only Algeria expressed, in an official note, its strong reservations about referring to the Al-Quds Committee and criticized the role played by its Chairman, HM King Mohammed VI. The attitude of Algeria, the Arab Summit’s next president, is a harbinger of difficult days and enormous challenges for the Palestinian issue and all Arab causes, as this country unfortunately puts its own anti-Moroccan political calculations before all the vital interests of the Arab world.