Moroccan FM praises Moroccan discretion in building ties with Israel
"The main feature of Moroccan diplomacy is that we work with complete discretion. Morocco has never been a braggart," he told i24News.
By SARAH CHEMLAMeir Ben Shabbat and Jared Kushner meet with King Mohammed VI of Morocco(photo credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM, GPO)
In the wake of the signing of normalization agreements between Israel and Morocco, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Burita told i24News about behind-the-scenes contacts between the two countries that have led to the agreements and explained that "since 2018, there have been many contacts, as His Majesty the King instructed."Burita explained, "His Excellency spoke with the President of the United States and sent delegations to the United States, not only to meet with the Americans, but also with the Israelis."Burita was asked during the interview about the discreet contacts and the rumor that he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly."The main feature of Moroccan diplomacy is that we work with complete discretion. Morocco has never been a braggart," he told i24News. "It is very clear that the Moroccan model has inspired peace efforts. In Morocco, the idea of living together, Jews and Muslims living side by side, is not just an idea, it is a reality. It is part of our history, a reality that Moroccans lived in during the history of Morocco.""In Morocco it is natural. We do not try to do things differently in order to please or seize an opportunity. In relations with Israel, Morocco behaved in a very natural way and we also see this in the remarks made by Meir Ben Shabbat, this is your Morocco. You can not find it anywhere else and that is why Morocco is different and special. "Nevertheless, Burita stressed that "protecting the Palestinian interest is not contrary to our cooperation with Israel," recalling his firm and unchanged position regarding the Palestinian issue and the need to preserve the special character of the city of Jerusalem for the three religions and the status of His Majesty as President of the Al-Quds Committee and supporting peace and stability in the Middle East.The delegation, led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, left early for Morocco Tuesday morning together with a US delegation headed by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner. The US delegation did not return to Tel Aviv. They flew on the El Al commercial flight between the two countries.During their trip, the parties signed agreements on visa exemptions, water cooperation, finance and aviation including direct flights between the two countries. Documents were also signed between Washington and Rabat with respect to $5 billion financial assistance for development through the US International Development Finance Corporation.Earlier this month, Morocco and Israel announced the normalization of ties under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have already ratified deals, although Sudan and Morocco have so far only issued declarations.Morocco differs from the other three countries because it had low level diplomatic ties with Israel from 1994-2000 and Tuesday’s flight marked a resumption of those ties, but is not the start of full diplomatic relationsThe history of Jews in Morocco dates back 2,000 years and Jews and Muslims have a long history of living together in this region, Kushner said.“The state we have lived in for the last 75 years, where Jews and Muslims have been separated, is not a natural state.”“What we are seeing now is a restoration of that norm and coming to a place where we can have that understanding – that will bring us to a much more peaceful Middle East and a much more peaceful world. Hopefully, it will pave the way for another warm peace between Israel and Morocco,” Kushner said.Ben Shabbat said that “history is being written before our eyes.”He continued, “Coming from a family that immigrated from Morocco, I am grateful for the privilege that has fallen to me and I am excited to head the Israeli delegation to Rabat.”US Ambassador David Friedman recalled the illustrious history of the Jewish people of Morocco and thanked US President Donald Trump for his efforts on behalf of this deal and the Abraham Accords in general.Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
