Fez – At a press briefing organized in Fez on June 6, 2026, the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency (BMAQ) presented the outcomes of projects carried out in Jerusalem under a partnership supported by the Fez Municipal Council.
The event provided an opportunity to review the first-year outcomes of the partnership agreement signed in July 2025 between BMAQ and the Fez Municipal Council. Backed by a total budget of MAD 10 million for the 2025–2029 period, the partnership supports a range of initiatives benefiting Jerusalem’s residents.
Speaking on the occasion, BMAQ Acting Director Mohamed Salem Echarkaoui explained that the first tranche of the Municipal Council’s contribution, amounting to MAD 2 million for 2025, was allocated to high-impact social projects.
He added that these funds supported 300 scholarships for Jerusalemite students worth MAD 750,000, direct assistance to Palestinian families in Jerusalem and surrounding villages amounting to MAD 740,000, and support for the sports club of the African Community Association in Jerusalem’s Old City worth MAD 510,000.
Mr. Echarkaoui also recalled that Morocco has been the sole donor to BMAQ since 2011, fully covering its annual operating budget of MAD 23 million, while also mobilizing nearly MAD 35 million in additional annual contributions from Moroccan institutions and private-sector partners.
He noted that, despite the difficult circumstances, the Agency continued its field interventions with a total budget of US$14.2 million between October 2023 and December 2025, including more than US$3 million allocated to emergency assistance for the Gaza Strip, as part of the national solidarity initiative launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
The Agency official also highlighted the progress made in governance and transparency, which was crowned by the attainment of ISO 9001:2015 certification.
For his part, the President of the Fez Municipal Council, Abdessalam El Bekkali, praised the special attention consistently devoted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to the Holy City, aimed at preserving its civilizational and religious identity and safeguarding its status as a symbol of coexistence and dialogue.
He recalled that Fez and Jerusalem share deep historical, spiritual, and cultural ties, further strengthened by the twinning agreement signed on May 7, 1982, under the patronage of the late His Majesty King Hassan II and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Mr. El Bekkali stressed that the partnership agreement with BMAQ reflects the Municipal Council’s practical commitment to supporting the resilience of Jerusalemites in education, health, and culture, emphasizing that the Palestinian cause remains at the heart of the Moroccan people’s concerns and convictions.
The event brought together local officials, elected representatives, political party members, and civil society actors, underscoring the ongoing mobilization of different segments of Moroccan society in support of Jerusalem and its residents.
