Resumption of Relations with Israel Will Enable Morocco to Better Support Palestinian Cause - High-Profile Moroccans in Japan

Such a move in no way affects Morocco's permanent and ongoing commitment to the just Palestinian cause, they said Friday. From a practical and pragmatic point of view, "establishing better channels of communication with Israel and further strengthening relations with the Moroccan community in that country - which is an important component of Israeli society and occupies important decision-making positions there - will put Morocco in a better position to continue supporting the Palestinian cause and Al-Quds," said Youssef Iguider, Managing director of Japan's office of US-based Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

The Palestinian question "occupies a special place in the hearts of all Moroccans, headed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee," Iguider told MAP.

According to the information technology and telecommunications expert, the re-establishment of relations between Morocco and Israel will create significant opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in many fields, such as technology and innovation, agriculture and tourism.

The launch of direct flights between the two countries, he added, will undoubtedly contribute to increasing the number of visitors to the Kingdom. These air links should bring the Moroccan community living in Israel closer to its country of origin, land of ancestors.

In similar remarks, Hakima El Bathaoui, journalist at Japan's Radio and Television Corporation (NHK) stressed that the resumption of relations between Morocco and Israel "in no way affects Morocco's permanent and ongoing commitment to the just Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign and independent state."

The re-establishment of relations should ease communication between government institutions so as to serve the Palestinian cause and provide Morocco with diplomatic tools to advance peace negotiations, she said.

Negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis face many obstacles and have not yielded the expected results, namely the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, El Bathaoui observed. 

The decision taken by Morocco would give new impetus to the Palestinian cause "because it will provide the Kingdom with the diplomatic tools to serve this issue as wells as peace and stability in the Middle East," she added. Regarding the economy, El Bathaoui stressed that the signing of economic agreements, during the visit of the high-level US-Israeli delegation, is likely to strengthen the position of the Kingdom within the international community and allow more foreign investment. 

International companies, especially the Japanese ones, see political stability and security as a decisive factor for launching ventures abroad, she concluded.