Israeli occupation turns Jerusalem into tension spot, King Hassan says
King Hassan II said on Thursday that the Israeli occupation of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) turned the holy city into a spot of tension.
The Israeli occupation "marked the beginning of a shift in the course of the radiant history of the city, transforming it from a space of peaceful and serene encounter of religions and creeds into a space of tension and aggression," King Hassan II in an address to the fall session of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, held this year on the theme "Al Quds: a breakingdown point or a meeting place."
King Hassan II has been chairing since 1979 the Al-Quds Committee, an instance of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in charge of defending and preserving the Arab and Islamic identity of Al-Quds.
The king underlined that history has confirmed that "religious intolerance and aggressive propensions destined to impose on the city the hegemony of a single religious community were behind the crises and tragedies that rocked Al-Quds."
Jewish historians themselves admit that their communities enjoyed, under the Islamic reign, a security and respect that they never enjoyed outside Muslim countries during long periods of history. These jewish historians also recognize that the jews were treated on an equal footing with Muslims in the holy city, the king said.
King Hassan II recalled in this respect that as testified by History, Muslim leaders reconstructed destroyed churches and authorized the construction of new ones.
History also teaches us that all the forms of domination and arrogance and the substitution of the force of justice and equity with the logic of force remain precarious and doomed to vanish, King Hassan II said, adding that the only undertakings that resist the test of time are the undertakings based on legitimacy, seeking peace and favoring peaceful coexistence between religions and communities.
The king stated further that muslim and arab leaders must remain hopeful that dialogue will be resumed to reach a fair and lasting peace.
Despite the Israeli Policy which puts at stake the present of the city of Al-Quds, by judaization and illegitimate settlements, "we should not, as political leaders, lose hope that dialogue will be resumed to reach a fair and lasting peace, committing all the parties concerned and restoring to the Palestinian people their legitimate right to make of Al-Quds the capital of their independent state," the king said.
The international conference is looking into the present situation in Al Quds and the peaceful religious co-existence which prevailed during the Islamic reign in the holy city.
The encounter is organized in collaboration with the Arab Parliamentary Union.
Participants are hearing papers on the U.N decisions relevant to Jerusalem, the role of peace sponsors in enhancing the Mideast Peace process and best ways to forge a peace culture and protect the religious sites in Jerusalem.