5 Nov 2019; MEMO: The Moroccan BDS movement called on Sunday evening to boycott a youth conference, which will possibly witness the participation of Israel in its activities.
The movement said in a statement that the fifth session of the Forum of Young Leaders to be held in the city of Essaouira, in the middle of the current month, is likely to host Israeli participators after the French embassy invited Israel to take part in the forum.
The movement, known as BDS Morocco, considered that “the participation in this forum stands for normalisation with Israel and constitutes an attempt to present the Israeli occupation state as an ordinary partner in a forum held in Morocco,” reported the Anadolu Agency.
BDS Morocco added that “the majority of the Moroccan people reject normalisation with Israel” while criticising the fact that “the French embassy dared to grant itself the right to invite Israel to participate in the forum.” The movement also deplored the embassy’s invitation of “young Israeli men eligible for military service in an occupation army that is daily practising war crimes against the Palestinian people” to visit the Moroccan territory.
The French Embassy in Israel has called on Israeli youth between the ages of 18 and 25 to submit their candidacies to participate in the fifth session of the Young Leaders Forum, according to the website of the French Embassy in Morocco.
The Young Leaders Forum will be organised by the French Embassy and the French Institute of Morocco, 15-17 November, for the fifth consecutive year in the northern city of Essaouira. The forum aims to involve young people in taking responsibility and open a discussion on the role of youth in development and their participation in political issues.
