Assahafa.com
The Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency continued its action on the field in 2024, carrying out several programs and projects thanks to its teams of Moroccan and Palestinian executives, despite difficult security challenges, the Agency’s managing director Mohamed Salem Cherkaoui said on Wednesday in Rabat.
At a press briefing on the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency’s achievements in 2024, Cherkaoui explained that the Agency relied on reports from the “Arribat Observatory”, which reports to the Agency, to assess the socio-economic situation in the Holy City in order to tailor its priorities to the sectors most in need of assistance.
In this respect, he noted that funds earmarked for social aid and human development accounted for 35% of project funding this year, with the aim of supporting large sections of Palestinian society affected by the wave of layoffs of Arab workers in Israel, restrictions on the mobility of people and goods, and the repercussions of the war in Gaza on the trade, tourism and services sectors.
This situation is likely to continue impacting the lives of Palestinians, who aspire to return to a normal life, particularly in the Gaza Strip, he regretted, noting that hospital centers and facilities in Al Quds and the West Bank could be particularly busy if the crossings were to reopen for people from the Gaza Strip.
In addition, Cherkaoui reported that the Agency has put in place a realistic and pragmatic plan for supporting the Palestinian population and settlements in Al Quds in 2024, taking into account the nature of challenges and allocated financial resources.
He also recalled that the questions of Al Quds and Palestine were, throughout the year, at the heart of the Messages and Speeches addressed by HM King Mohammed VI to various regional and international congresses and fora. He then underlined, in this sense, that the Royal Speech on the occasion of Throne Day this year enshrined the centrality of the Palestinian question among the priorities of the Sovereign’s action, in His capacity as Commander of the Faithful and Chairman of the Al Quds Committee.
Cherkaoui also assured the audience that the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency fully believes that Moroccans’ support for this institution reflects their historic commitment to defending the Holy City and safeguarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In addition, he recalled that the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, part of the Al-Quds Committee, was created on the initiative of the Arab and Islamic member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to preserve the religious and civilizational character of Al-Quds, protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and support the Palestinians in the face of the challenges they face on a daily basis.
However, despite the commitment of member countries to provide the Agency with financial resources needed to carry out its missions, this support has ceased since 2011, the Agency’s managing director regretted, stressing that Morocco, in accordance with the High Instructions of HM the King, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, continues to provide funding for the Agency so that it can honor its commitments to the Holy City, its population and its institutions.
The Kingdom’s contributions to the Agency’s budget for 2024 amounted to nearly $7 million, divided into State contribution ($5 million), public and private institutions ($1 million) and individual contributions from Moroccans ($700,000), he detailed.
The Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency, he added, will strive in 2025 towards diversifying its funding sources and forge new partnerships in order to respond effectively to the growing needs of the city of Al-Quds and its inhabitants.
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