The N7 Initiative, a landmark effort to speed up the 2020 Abraham Accords’ implementation between Israel and Arab countries, is not business as usual, said, on Monday, King Mohammed VI’s Advisor André Azoulay.
The N7 Initiative, spearheaded by the Atlantic Council in cooperation with the Jeffreyn M. Talpins Foundation, is convening international conferences marked by the attendance of senior officials from Israel, Bahrain, UAE, Sudan, Jordan and Egypt. Its latest meeting took place in Morocco, a country that re-established diplomatic ties with Israel two years ago.
Speaking on this occasion, Azoulay commended the organization of such event against the backdrop of a volatile, regressive juncture. “It takes courage to be here, in Rabat, pioneering ways to build cultural bridges and finding common ground despite all conflicts.”
In his reminiscence about his Jewish upbringing, Azoulay said that the core values of Judaism are based on “respecting the person in front of you and preserving his/her dignity, regardless of anything.”
Azoulay, also an influential figure of the Moroccan Jewish community, extended an invitation to everyone to follow in the footsteps of Morocco and embrace the right path of peace and diversity.
However, Azoulay warned that “because we are now more educated than our predecessors, we cannot afford to lose ground over disrespecting and ignoring differences.”
He concluded by welcoming all the parties to the event held in “the land of Islam, Morocco”.
The event (Dec. 5-7), held under the theme of education and coexistence, brought together dozens of experts from the MENA region and the U.S. to engage in a free-flowing examination of the shared challenges and collaborative activities that promote coexistence, particularly in areas related to people-to-people engagements.