“Zionist ideology that denies the right of Palestinians to live is one of the factors creating terrorism and extremist disputes witnessed by the Arab region over the past years,” Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane said yesterday.
During his speech at the 21st annual International Exhibition of Publishing and Books (Salon International de l-Edition et du Livre – SIEL) held in Casablanca, Benkirane said: “The terrorism exercised by Israel against the Palestinians drives some to respond by ‘blowing themselves up’, thus blowing up the future of the nation as well.”
He noted: “Palestine will not abuse its Jewish citizens, as is the case in Morocco, which cares about its Jewish citizens,” adding in the same context that the Palestinians cannot accept an “apartheid” state similar to the apartheid government in South Africa from 1948 to 1993.
The Moroccan Prime Minister stressed that terrorism “has no future” and that it is “an imminent threat” to the region’s future, calling for the confrontation of what he referred to as “obscurantist ideology” with “enlightenment and culture”.
He also explained that his country “is trying to provide an example for the Arab world based on respect for pluralism and an identity made up of different cultures, religions and politics.” Benkirane believes that Morocco has been “blessed” with stability and security in light of the crisis-stricken surroundings.
Palestine is the guest of honour at SIEL this year, which is attended by 46 countries. The exhibition will end on 22 February.
Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.
