Ramallah \u2013 The Director of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency (BMAQ), Mohamed Salem Echarkaoui, affirmed that Moroccans\u2019 connection to Jerusalem is not recent or incidental but a deep-rooted historical bond, emphasizing that the Kingdom of Morocco\u2019s support for the Palestinian people continues through a variety of social and development programs.<\/p>\n
In an interview on the \u201cNew Day\u201d program on Voice of Palestine radio, Echarkaoui emphasized that this connection is evident through Moroccan endowments, historical landmarks, and the enduring Moroccan presence in Jerusalem, noting, \u201cWhen we defend the rights of Palestinians in this land, we are also defending our rights as Moroccans in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding his regular visits to Jerusalem, Echarkaoui explained that they \u201ctake place within the framework of Royal directives for the Agency to provide sustained support to Jerusalem\u2019s Palestinian residents year-round, especially during Ramadan, through its major social assistance campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this context, he explained that BMAQ has launched a series of social, health, and economic initiatives in conjunction with\u00a0 the holy month of Ramadan, alongside a complementary program aimed at reinforcing national identity and supporting Jerusalemites\u2019 resilience.<\/p>\n
The Agency operates year-round, investing about $8 million in 2025 in\u00a0 social proects with a focuse on education, healthcare, and building restoration, especially in the Old City , which is confronting mounting challenges.<\/p>\n
In the same vein, Echarkaoui highlighted the organization of the \u201cMoroccan Traditional Crafts Week\u201d in Jerusalem, during which Moroccan artisans provided hands-on training to Jerusalemite youth in various traditional crafts, including textile arts, wood carving, and silver engraving.<\/p>\n
He described the results as \u201cimpressive,\u201d announcing plans to select top participants for three-week training residencies in major Moroccan craft centers to deepen their skills and enable them to pass on knowledge to peers in Jerusalem through a \u201ctrain-the-trainer\u201d approach.<\/p>\n
Echarkaoui explained that this initiative forms part of the \u201cCommunity Initiatives for Human Development\u201d program, which aims to help beneficiaries establish income-generating activities rather than depend solely on short-term assistance.<\/p>\n
Regarding the challenges faced by Jerusalemite artisans, he acknowledged that Palestinian products struggle to compete due to high production costs, costly raw materials, and limitations on movement and market access.<\/p>\n
He stated that the Agency aims to overcome these challenges through a new marketing strategy under the \u201cMade in and Made for Palestine\u201d brand, promoting local production and broadening sales channels, including e-commerce and participation in international exhibitions.<\/p>\n
He noted that the Agency served as the \u201cfirst customer\u201d for some of these initiatives to support the artisans and also exhibited Jerusalemite products abroad to foster confidence in investment and online marketing.<\/p>\n
He also emphasized that the Agency\u2019s resources \u201cremain limited,\u201d relying solely on funding from Morocco, and noted that it \u201chas not received financial support from any Arab or Islamic countries since 2011, despite being an institutional mechanism well positioned to coordinate such support for Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cPalestinians hope that Arab and Islamic countries will follow the Moroccan model, which has shown a tangible presence through property ownership in the Old City, the construction of schools funded by Morocco, and the development of major health-sector projects, including hospital wards and medical laboratories.\u201d<\/p>\n
He emphasized that the Agency follows the principle that \u201ca small, continuous effort is better than a large, intermittent one,\u201d reaffirming its commitment to fulfilling its mission despite challenges.<\/p>\n
Echarkaoui concluded by stating that \u201cthe Agency will continue promoting development and economic empowerment to strengthen Jerusalemites\u2019 resilience and preserve the city\u2019s civilizational identity, despite the complex security and economic challenges it faces.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ramallah \u2013 The Director of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency (BMAQ), Mohamed Salem Echarkaoui, affirmed that Moroccans\u2019 connection to Jerusalem is not recent or incidental but a deep-rooted historical bond, emphasizing that the Kingdom of Morocco\u2019s support for the Palestinian people continues through a variety of social and development programs. In an interview on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classifiee","category-26","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11996"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11997,"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11996\/revisions\/11997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bmaq.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}