At a press briefing with the President of the Canary Islands on Tuesday, October 8, in Rabat, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita addressed the situation in the Middle East. «We want to shift away from crisis management and towards laying the groundwork for a lasting solution through the two-state solution, with a Palestinian state on the June 1967 borders, and East Jerusalem as its capital», he said. Bourita also emphasized that «extremists on both sides should not be allowed to control the agenda in the Middle East. It's time for constructive players to take back the initiative, so the region isn't held hostage by extremists». He condemned attacks on civilians, noting that «Morocco denounces the attacks on schools, hospitals, and the thousands of women and children targeted by Israeli strikes». The Foreign Minister highlighted the dangers of the conflict's expansion, warning that «the widening of the conflict, as seen in Lebanon, poses risks of instability for the entire region». He reiterated Morocco's condemnation of attacks on schools and hospitals, as well as the policy of starving Palestinians in their own territories. Bourita also criticized recent «inappropriate remarks» targeting the United Nations Secretary-General and foreign heads of state, stressing that «such attacks against people of good will, who are merely seeking solutions, do not help de-escalation or lead to rapid conflict resolution». He referenced the Israeli Foreign Ministry's decision to declare António Guterres «persona non grata» in Israel after Guterres spoke out about the conflict's escalation and called for a ceasefire. The Israeli Prime Minister also publicly reacted to French President Emmanuel Macron's call to halt arms sales to Israel with a scornful «shame on you».
