From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Herzog sends letter to Morocco in thanks for kingdom protecting Jews over the years
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Two years after Morocco and Israel signed a normalization agreement, President Isaac Herzog sends a letter to Morocco’s ruler thanking the kingdom for protecting Jews over the years, Herzog’s office reveals.
The letter, sent on December 22 to King Mohammed VI, highlights the haven provided to Jews during the Holocaust by Mohammed V, “who is remembered as the protector and guardian of Jews in his realm.”
Herzog also pays tribute to Mohammed VI’s father, Hassan II, “who played a critical role in building the foundations for peace upon which our futures now stand.”
“It was during your rule that the Hebraic character of Morocco was recognized within the kingdom’s constitution,” writes Herzog to Mohammed VI, “that Jewish communal institutions throughout the country – from synagogues to cemeteries – have been renovated; and that Holocaust denial was denounced by your own statements singling out the ‘Final Solution’ as ‘one of the most tragic chapters of modern history.’”
The text of the missive was coordinated with the Foreign Ministry and Yad Vashem, says the president’s office.
