Israel's ambassador to UK lauds King Hassan II's vision

The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Moshe Raviv, hailed over the weekend the vision and humanism of King Hassan II.

"I am aware of the important contribution of King Hassan II and his efforts for peace in the Middle East, especially his vision and humanism that were decisive to break the wall of hostilities between Israel and the Arab World," Raviv said at the end of a religious ceremony at a London Synagogue on the occasion of King Hassan II's birthday, celebrated on July 9.

"While we are starting a new chapter in Israel's relations with its Arab neighbors, we are hopeful that these ties of friendship, cooperation and mutual respect will help us all achieve concrete progress for a lasting peace in the Middle East," the Israeli diplomat added.

King Hassan II promised in a recent interview with French "Le Nouvel Observateur" weekly that he will spare no effort with new Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to promote peace, because, he said, "I think we wasted much time."

In his speech, Moshe Raviv underlined that King Hassan II "spared no effort to bring together Jews and Muslims not only in his country but also in the whole region."

"I hope that these efforts will be renewed with more vitality," he added.

Raviv stressed Israel's "full commitment" to achieving a "genuine lasting peace for all the peoples of the Middle East." He recalled that Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy was born in Morocco and that he has always endeavored to enrich Israel's relations with Morocco and with the Arab World.

"Under the leadership of Levy and Barak, Israel will remain a partner of Morocco in this historic action," Moshe Raviv said.