(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid met today (Wednesday, 11 August 2021) in Rabat with his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Following are FM Lapid’s remarks:
“Jews have lived in Morocco for almost two thousand years. There is archaeological evidence of Jewish communal life in Morocco as early as the second century AD.
“For most of the time and through most of the periods, the Jews lived here in peace. There was a deep friendship between them and their Moroccan neighbors. For the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who watch us today, Morocco is a paternal home.
“This is the landscape of their childhood. The music, the flavors, the colors, the melody of prayer. They will not visit as tourists, they will return for a family visit. With all the memories. Today we are restoring peace. Restoring the friendship.
“Peace, and this ancient friendship, is being restored by people who know how to rethink old conflicts. First and foremost, by His Majesty King Muhammad VI, by his vision and courage. We are grateful to him.
“I thank Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who asked me to convey his blessing to everyone here. He told me before I left, ‘I envy you going to Morocco before me, but tell them I'm on my way."
“I would like to thank my good friend Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita, who believed in the process from the start and helped us encourage it even during the most difficult moments.
“I would also like to thank the staff of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially MFA Director General Alon Ushpiz. And thank you to my beloved friend, Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services Meir Cohen, who was born in Mogador (Essaouira). For him, this is a homecoming.
“Almost a thousand years ago, a young man, the greatest Jewish philosopher of all time, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, Maimonides, lived in Morocco. He acquired his education in the city of Paz. Here, in Morocco, his worldview was shaped.
“In his great work, the Eight Chapters, Maimonides wrote: "And do not say that he has already reached a state that cannot be changed, since every situation can be changed from good to evil, and from evil to good, and he (the person) chooses it.”
“Reality is not given. Reality is a choice we make. For too many years we have let other people choose for us the way of war. Today we take our destiny into our own hands and choose the path of peace.
“Today we choose the path of Maimonides. What have all the years of severed relations between our two ancient and proud nations brought us? Nothing! What have our citizens gained from this? Nothing! Today we are changing that.
“Today, we are replacing that in favor of tourism and economy, trade and cultural exchange, friendship and cooperation. This moment will improve our lives, because that is what peace does. War ends life, peace begins it.
“Less than two months ago I inaugurated our embassy in the United Arab Emirates. Tomorrow, we will open our mission in Morocco. Bahrain and Sudan have already agreed on the resumption of diplomatic and trade relations.
“Something is happening in the Middle East. People and leaders look at Libya and Syria and Lebanon and say to themselves, ‘This is not what we want for our children. This is not what we want for ourselves.’
“The only war worth devoting our lives to is not against our neighbor, or against anyone who prays differently from us. The only war that has meaning is the war on poverty, the war on ignorance, the war on epidemics and drought.
“In the Holy Koran it is written: ‘If (they) lean towards peace, you too incline to it.’ (Sura 8, verse 61). Hostility and hatred are created by human beings, and human beings can also decide to bring them to an end.
“The God of the Jews and the Muslims, the God of our common father Abraham, tells us again and again, both in the Bible and in the Koran, that we are measured as human beings not in what we have taken from the world, but in what we give to the world.
“Nations and human beings are measured by their ability to see one another. To see the suffering, the struggle, the need for change. This moment would not have come if we had not decided to see one another.
“The world we live in has shrunk. The world is smaller than ever. Fast communication networks allow us to exchange ideas in real time.
“Giant global companies enable us to purchase a product overseas and receive it at home on the same day. AI and Deep Learning technologies are changing the way we think.
“And on the other hand, there are two types of states: those that know how to create collaborations and alliances, and those who will try to cope alone. Those who know how to change and be competitive, and those who are reclusive and find themselves left behind.
“The agreements we are about to sign will bring innovation and opportunities to our countries that our children and their children after them will enjoy for many years after we are no longer here. We are not good politicians today, Mr. Minister, we are good parents.
“Today we are making our children's worlds safer, and we are teaching them a lesson about the power of hope. This is our role as parents. Not only to protect them, but also to teach them about the power of change they hold in their hands.