Arab Red Crescent, Red Cross societies: King Mohammed calls for enhanced support to victims of 'Israeli war machine'

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has called Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross societies to extend further backing to "the victims of the Israeli war machine in the occupied Arab territories and to appeal to all peace-loving states and institutions to protect the Palestinian people."

This came in a message the king addressed to the 30th conference of Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross societies that opened proceedings in Rabat Thursday under the topic "volunteering, a humanitarian duty."

"The situation in the occupied Arab territories is deteriorating. Violence is prevailing and the Israeli war machine is torturing and besieging the unarmed Palestinian people, in violation of the provisions of the international humanitarian law, namely the 1949 Geneva Convention," the king underlined, adding "this situation requires from us all to extend an enhanced backing and assistance to the victims of this prejudice, to save the injured, to voice our human solidarity and to engage in voluntary work to alleviate the effects of this painful ordeal."

"In our capacity as chairman of the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Committee and in the frame of the tireless efforts we make to protect this holy city and preserve its civilizational identity and its religious space, rich in a humankind heritage that incarnates the coexistence between the revealed religions, we are expecting your conference to appeal to all peace-loving states, institutions and organizations to shield the defenseless Palestinian people from the expulsion, blockade, physical cruelty and aggression perpetrated by the Israeli government, and to extend backing to their legitimate rights, mainly their right to establish, on their liberated land, an independent state with Al-Quds as its capital," King Mohammed VI said in the message that was read out by advisor to the king, Mohamed Moatassim.

The king also underlined Morocco's contribution to the promotion of the culture of coexistence, the defense of humanitarian causes, mainly the causes of peace, tolerance and dialogue of civilizations and religions and renewed the kingdom's adherence to all initiatives and moves having a lofty humanitarian goal. Morocco fully adheres to efforts seeking to extend assistance and relief to individuals and communities, affected by poverty, natural disasters, epidemics or wars, the king said.

The king, who underlined the role of the red crescent and red cross societies in alleviating the effects of such disasters, said these societies cannot possibly fulfil their task without an acting solidarity and a generous voluntary work.

He recalled that since his enthronement (July 1999), he has been keen on promoting the concept of volunteering to make of it a genuine social solidarity culture.

The Mohammed V solidarity foundation was actually set up to materialize the principle of voluntary work, through a social, solidarity action, the sovereign said, adding that the goal sought by the attention granted to least favored social layers such as children in precarious situation, disabled persons and rural women, is to enable these layers participate in the collective work to build up, on firm bases, the democratic society we so strongly aspire to.

The opening of the three-day conference was chaired by Princess Lalla Malika, chairwoman of the Moroccan red Crescent.