In an article published simultaneously on the website of the newspaper L'observateur du Maroc et d'Afrique and in "Israel Today", their editors Ahmad Sharai and Boaz Bismuth call for putting the past aside • With the face to the future
The tourist market in Marrakech
Photography:
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Today is again a day where history is written: the first direct flight from Tel Aviv will land in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
The flight is the first visual sign of the new relations between Israel and Morocco.
The beginning of a new era of diplomatic recognition.
Morocco is the fourth Arab country to reach new diplomatic agreements with Israel in the last four months.
The United Arab Emirates began the move, despite threats from Iran and its affiliates, by signing a peace agreement with Israel in September 2020, making it the first to do so since Jordan signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1994. The emirates also included Bahrain, Sudan and now Morocco.
The roots of peace between Morocco and Israel are planted in decades of history.
The late King of Morocco, Hassan II, worked tirelessly to bring Israel closer to its Arab neighbors.
He helped with all peace initiatives - from Camp David in the 1970s to the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.
Behind the scenes King Hassan II was the driving force behind Egypt becoming the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state.
King Muhammad VI continues with the same commitment to the battle between Israel and the Arabs.
Another political breakthrough: Morocco and Israel will establish full diplomatic relations // Photo: GPO
King Muhammad VI made it clear both in public and in talks with Abu Mazen that the normalization agreement with Israel should not be interpreted as abandoning the Palestinians.
Instead, it should be interpreted as an invitation for the Palestinians to return to talks and leave behind the preconditions they set in the past.
Israeli leaders must also see these impressive breakthroughs as an opportunity to bring new ideas and be inspired by the American "Peace for Prosperity" program.
The agreement between Israel and Morocco is historic, as are the family ties between Israel and Morocco.
One million Israelis are from Morocco or descendants of parents or grandparents born there.
The legal rights of Jews and other religious minorities are guaranteed in the Moroccan Constitution of 2011. Many Jewish schools can still be found in major cities in Morocco, and Jews have freedom of worship in the country.
Of course, there are the fringes of Moroccan society that deny the agreement with Israel - mainly Islamist movements and those who believe in different ideologies of the left.
But millions of drained young people are fed up with the ideologies of hatred and extremism and want the opportunities and benefits that can only be achieved through peace and partnership.
They see Israel as a strong partner in creating jobs and building hope for their future.
The new wave of peace agreements creates a new order in the Arab world.
Decades ago, the slogan of pro-Soviet nationalists and pan-Arab nationalists was "from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf."
Today, ironically, the same slogan can be used to describe the partnership of the various factors - from Rabat and Casablanca on the coast to Abu Dhabi and Manama in the Gulf, and with Cairo, Khartoum, Jerusalem, and Amman in the middle - who see totalitarian radicalism (this time in Islamist costume) a common threat .
Morocco, at the western end of this alliance, has a crucial contributing power: its esteemed voice of moderate Islam can make a difference in the ideological struggle against Islamist radicals in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
The new agreement between Israel and Morocco is of double importance to Moroccans because it is also accompanied by American recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over its provinces in the Sahara.
This dramatic move reflects the American awareness that Rabat has pledged to invest $ 100 billion in its Crescent population - while the separatist militia "Polisario" and its Algeria-backed enclave have remained a bastion of neglect, suffering and terrorism.
Now that these steps have been completed, the coming months provide an opportunity for the Arab states to help reshape the international discourse and agenda of bringing Israel and the Palestinians closer together.
The Biden administration can help by adopting a new approach to peace-making that relies on the lessons learned in the new wave of diplomatic developments.
Now is the time to build on the promise embodied in the new agreements - for all the signatories, the Palestinians, and the region as a whole.
If the new wave of peace-making is translated into tangible achievements for young Arabs, pan-Arab support for peace with Israel will only increase.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "The best way to predict your future is by creating it."
It is now up to the Americans, the Arabs, the Israelis and anyone who has an interest in a prosperous and secure area to apply this principle for the purpose of peace.