Israeli Pres. Expresses Gratitude To King for Protection of Jews

President of Israel Isaac Herzog expressed to King Mohammed VI his gratitude for Morocco’s longstanding defense of Jews, said the president’s office.
Herzog voiced Israel’s gratitude to the king “and the people of Morocco who, for generations, have acted to protect the security, welfare and cultural heritage of the kingdom’s Jewish community,” wrote the letter dated December 22 to the Monarch.
Herzog also highlighted the safe haven provided by king Mohammed V to Jews during the Holocaust. “The king is remembered as the protector and guardian of Jews in his realm.”
“When millions of Jews faced the horrors of the Holocaust in the 20th century, King Mohammed V provided a safe haven for his Jewish subjects. Mohammed V is famous for his refusal to apply anti-Jewish laws prescribed by France’s pro-German Vichy government during World War II” Herzog said in the letter.
Herzog also paid 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.”
The letter comes after two years since Morocco normalized ties with Israel, and was the first time an Israeli official pays tribute to the Holocaust-era actions by Morocco.