Dean at Princeton University and cousin of King Mohammed VI, Prince Moulay Hicham Alaoui, believes Morocco would benefit from «breaking» with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while maintaining «its ties with the Israeli people». In the first part of an interview published Tuesday by the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, Prince Moulay Hicham Alaoui argued that Morocco should «break» with the Israeli government while maintaining ties with the Israeli people. His comments come nearly two years after the start of Israel's war in Gaza, which he described as genocide and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Since October 7, 2023, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that 64,605 Palestinian civilians have been killed and 163,319 wounded. Against this backdrop, the cousin of King Mohammed VI said that other Arab regimes should also sever ties with Israel, given the widespread popular anger over normalization. Yet he nuanced his stance: «I don't think we should cut ties with Israel altogether, because that rupture is the ultimate goal, regardless of international norms. Nor can we boycott Israeli civil society. On the contrary, we must attract them, convince them, and make them allies, liberal allies. Not isolate them». As director of the Transregional Institute for the Contemporary Study of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, and a dean at Princeton University, Hicham Alaoui stressed that «Morocco is uniquely positioned to do so because we have a history of coexistence. We must build on it and carry this tradition forward, but intelligently». On regional dynamics, the prince said that «Israel has achieved military victories, particularly against Iran, and believes it can settle the Palestinian question once and for all». In his view, «Arab governments are not truly pro-Palestinian, because they have always sought to please the United States. Tension is rising, and popular solidarity is growing. As a result, Arab governments are in a difficult position; they are walking a tightrope». A two-state solution out of reach? While acknowledging that «the two-state solution is no longer possible», Hicham Alaoui dismissed the prospect of mass Palestinian displacement. «The Palestinians are not leaving. I believe they will resist with a courageous struggle that will be historic. My impression is that they will ultimately prevail», he said. «Israel has colonized the entire territory, built road networks and walls between settlements, so the two-state solution no longer exists. Israel will not move except by force. Perhaps in ten or fifteen years things may change, but by then it will be too late». These remarks echo his position after October 7, 2023, when, days after Israel imposed a siege on Gaza, he argued that «the two-state solution was no longer viable after decades of Israeli government policies». On X, he wrote that «the resolution of this conflict lies in a single state for two peoples, in one form or another». He also said the Palestinians, with «limited means but immense determination», had already challenged Israel's «deterrence policy» and the «myth of the invincibility of its army». Continuing in the same vein in his interview with El Confidencial, Hicham Alaoui said that, for now, possible solutions could be «either a form of confederation or some arrangement of shared sovereignty». He concluded: «When the time comes, I believe a solution will be found. Let us not forget the Irish conflict lasted 500 years. It took five centuries. The Palestinian future does not have to mirror that of Native Americans».
