Erekat: King of Morocco rejected US projects against Palestine

Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee, Saeb Erekat, praised the Kingdom of Morocco, its King, government and people for the positions they have taken on the Palestinian issue.

Erekat praised the pro-Palestinian moves that Morocco has made recently in light of the challenges facing Palestine, most importantly the Kingdom’s clear rejection of the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transfer its embassy to Jerusalem in May.

Erekat also praised Morocco’s rejection of the US aid cuts to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), close the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s representative office in Washington and other resolutions that violate international consensus.

The Secretary’s remarks came during his participation in the International “MEDays” Forum – a meeting of high-level dignitaries to discuss Middle East relations – which began in the coastal city of Tangier, Morocco, on 9 November. Erekat conveyed the greetings of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and his appreciation to the Moroccan King, Mohammed VI – who is also Chairman of the Jerusalem Committee – on his courageous efforts to defend the Palestinian cause. Erekat also praised the King’s commitment to the two-state solution and the need to end the Israeli occupation of the territories occupied in 1967, as well as to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

This is a position that reflects the Moroccan people’s consensus, which President Abbas, the Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian people appreciate and respect, Erekat added.

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Erekat also welcomed the invitation made by the Moroccan King to the Algerian Republic during his speech on the 43rd anniversary of the Green March on 6 November, in which he called on Algeria to work towards reconciliation and eliminate the impediments to relations between the two countries, describing the call as “gracious and courageous”.

Erekat pointed out that Palestine considers the strength of Arab relations and the stability and security of the Arab world to be central to Palestinian national security and a focal point upon which the Palestinian issue is based. He added that the Arab world is now in dire need of eliminating its differences in order to confront national threats, especially with regard to fighting terrorism, extremism and other threats facing the region.