Rabat: Mechanisms for bolstering resilience and supporting the cultural resistance of Al-Quds residents in their battle of narratives were the focus of a symposium held Saturday in Rabat as part of the 31st edition of the International Book Fair (SIEL).

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, during this meeting, organized by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency on “the Palestinian narrative and the safeguarding of the Arab-Islamic presence in Al-Quds,” speakers emphasized the fundamental importance of enshrining a Palestinian narrative rooted in the civilizational history of the Holy City. They called for addressing the shortcomings of the media apparatus and the weakness of Arab intellectual output, while highlighting the central role of a comprehensive discourse that promotes the shared “Islamic-Christian” identity and a “neutral” narrative to refute unfounded historical claims of the Israeli far right.

In this context, the Director of the cartography department at Beit Acharq in Al-Quds and author of a
book on settlement in the Holy City, Khalil Tafakji, highlighted efforts made by Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to bolster the resilience of the Palestinian people through support for the education sector, social institutions, and urban rehabilitation projects, at a time when residents are barred from building in the eastern part of the city. After highlighting Al-Quds’s central place in the three Abrahamic religions throughout history, Tafakji addressed the conflicting narratives between Palestinians and Israelis, pointing to measures taken by Israel to impose its narrative on the ground.

In the same vein, he warned of attempts at Judaization through renaming streets and places from Arabic to Hebrew, the demographic alteration of occupied East Al-Quds by reducing the proportion of Palestinian population, and the falsification of the Palestinian narrative through changes to school curricula. For his part, writer and legal advisor Talal Abu Af
ifa reaffirmed intellectuals and civil society’s role in anchoring Palestinians’ national belonging through actions aimed at preserving intangible heritage, such as promoting traditional Palestinian clothing and raising awareness among younger generations.

This year’s SIEL features 891 exhibitors representing Morocco and 60 Arab, African, European, Asian, and American countries.