Moroccan UN Ambassador pledges peace with Israel at Hanukkah lighting

Moroccan Ambassador Omar Hilale pledged to build a bridge of peace with Israel as he lit the eighth candle of Hanukkah with his Israeli counterpart Gilad Erdan at a special ceremony in New York. 

“There is no alternative to peace. We are all the sons of Abraham and the sons of Abraham, they always at the end of the day will sit together to make peace together and to build a future together for the next generation,” Hilale said at the ceremony.

A deep belief in peace, he said, is the reason he stood “today to light Hanukkah candles” which are symbols of hope.

“Hanukkah is existing together. Hanukkah is loving each other. Hanukkah is rejecting violence. Hanukkah is building bridges between people and civilizations. This is the understanding we have in our hearts, Hilale said.

He joined Israel’s mission in New York just one week after the announcement that his country had become the fourth Muslim nation to sign a normalization deal with Israel under the rubric of the US brokered Abraham Accords. 

The celebration of Hanukkah was not an extraordinary event for someone from his country, which had a long history of tolerance to the Jewish people whose presence in the country dated back thousands of years, Hilale said. 

“Hanukkah is not a strange tradition in my country. …The Jewish people are part of our society, our religion, our people [and] our history,” he said.

Morocco is very proud of its long history of cooperation with the Jewish people, he said.

He recalled how during the Holocaust Moroccan shielded its Jews from the Nazis and blocked their deportation to concentration camps.

“Europeans sent their Jewish citizens to concentration camps” but the former  Moroccan King Mohammed V told the Vichy Authorities that in his country “they did not have Jewish or Muslim citizens, they had Moroccan citizens. And you will not take anyone,” Hilale said.

“This is the history of Morocco,” he added.

Morocco is proud that there is such a large community of almost one million Jews of Moroccan descent in Israel, he said.

Erdan said, that the story of Hanukkah is one of religious freedom, where the ancient Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated when a single pot of oil miraculously lasted for eight days.

“The deep connection between Morocco and the Jewish people dates back  thousand of years. Renewing this relationship fulfills the dream of many Israelis of Moroccan heritage who remain proud of their roots and have a great love for the country. 

‘For many years these Jews have served as a bridge between us, that bridge is now reinforced by the normalization of relations which I am sure will lead to a warm and prosperous friendship, a friendship that will benefit not only Israel and Morocco but the entire region,” Erdan said.

“This year religious tolerance has brought new light into the Middle East and beyond, the new relations between Israel and four countries are based on the value of coexistence and mutual respect,” he explained. 

“By embracing our differences rather than viewing them as a threat we have created new incredible opportunities for the future,” Erdan continued.

“There has been a shift in the way we see each other. The descendants of Abraham have rekindled our connection, and we are spreading hope and promise throughout the entire world,” Erdan added.

“As we light the last candle of Hanukkah let us pray that the bright flames dispel the darkness that has crept into the world,” Erdan said.Among the event participants was the Ambassador for Bhutan Doma Tshering, whose country also agreed to normalize ties with Israel last week.She spoke of the shared values between the two countries that can bridge any divide between them. “The royal government looks forward to strengthening the bonds of friendship between Bhutan and Israel,” she added.