Earlier this month in Morocco, a young Palestinian woman and Israeli man wandered into the large market at Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech. They stood together in front of a juice stand.
The vendor greeted them and turned to the girl, asking her where she was from. “I am from Palestine,” she answered, and he showered her with love, saying, “We love Palestine!” He then turned to the young man, who responded, “I’m from Israel,” and the vendor, without hesitation, responded, “We love Israel too!”
That fairytale moment took place when 30 Israeli and Palestinian students joined their MENA counterparts in Morocco for an experiential educational program organized by ROPES, providing participants with the opportunity to learn about the MENA region, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the Middle Eastern peace process.
The Regional Organization for Peace, Economics & Security (ROPES) is a US-based nonprofit NGO, founded in 2017 to connect forward-thinking Israeli and Palestinian emerging leaders with peers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Beyond the academic content delivered by a select group of academics, a major goal of the program was to rebuild trust among the participants. This aim turned into an immersive emotional and spiritual journey through Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Essaouira.
Throughout the program, moments of light and grace emerged, not only when we agreed with one another but especially when the shared space that we had co-created was able to accommodate disagreements, fear, anger, sorrow, blame, and longing for a normal life.
We momentarily set aside the media and social platforms and focused on interpersonal learning, on casual conversations on breaks or on the bus, and on what happened in between.
Over time, we managed to release at least part of the enormous burden we all carry, due to our various realities, and simply be human beings, each with a face and a name.
The decision to hold the program in Morocco was not arbitrary. We could easily have held it in Cyprus or Germany, as is the case with many other peacebuilding initiatives, benefiting from shorter flight times and reduced costs. Nevertheless, we chose to conduct the program in a Muslim country in the westernmost part of the MENA region.
This decision highlights Morocco’s important role as an ideal location for trust and confidence building between Israelis, Palestinians, and other inhabitants of the region.
Morocco is perfect for this role
Morocco’s qualifications for this role are based on it having been a beacon for shared life for Muslims and Jews for centuries, as well as on the status of King Mohammed VI of Morocco as the chair of the Jerusalem Committee under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the good relations Morocco maintains with both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as with other regional actors.
And so it was. In these difficult days, Morocco provided a pleasant and gentle oasis of kindness, welcoming faces, and comforting Moroccan dishes, and small gestures that brought us back to our common humanity.
Apparently, the sight of young Israelis and Palestinian together – as well as with others from the region – did not leave those whom we encountered indifferent. From the lecturers and speakers to hotel staff, market vendors, and others we interacted with, everyone was filled with hope at such an unusual sight against the backdrop of regional crisis.
Particularly moving was the encounter between the program participants and the members of the Mimouna Association which had been established in 2007 by students in Morocco to bring Muslims and Jews closer together; and to preserve Jewish heritage as part of Morocco’s cultural diversity.
On the second part of the journey, we made the long trip to the city of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast, where we met the king’s advisor, André Azoulay.
He is an example of Jewish leadership not only in Morocco but in the entire Arab and Muslim world. Conversing with him was one of the significant highlights of the program.
When Azoulay spoke of his Jewish identity as a duty to care for others, rather than dividing the group into separate identities, he exemplified a spirit of solidarity and mutual responsibility.
Azoulay explained that he kept his “Jewishness” alive by being more than ever committed to the two-state solution. “I do justice to my Moroccan fundamental Jewish values by giving a chance to whoever I interact with to enjoy the same justice, the same dignity I expect for myself.”
Between visits to Bayt Dakira and Dar Souiri, as well as welcoming the Shabbat at the Slat El-Atiyah synagogue, we transitioned from the mundane to the sacred.
On Friday evening, we held an interfaith dinner at the Zaouia Al-Qadiriya, a religious center of one of the prominent Sufi orders in Morocco.
Together, we sang parts of Andalusian music and the Jewish songs of “bakashot” (requests), a verse in Arabic followed by another in Hebrew and so on – as is customary in the Matrouz tradition [Judeo-Arabic artistic and musical concept] a practice for multiculturalist co-creation, rooted in the Golden Age of Andalusia, a history shared by us all and an integral part of Moroccan culture.
Our eye-opening experiences during the program in Morocco illustrated what can be achieved, thus amplifying our hope for a future in which MENA can become a region of peace and coexistence.
The writer is director of education programs at ROPES, an expert on Morocco, and a strategic consultant for building partnerships in the MENA region. She was part of the foundational team of the Israeli Mission to Morocco, leading in economic and academic affairs.