MOROCCAN JEWISH LEADER REPORTS ON LIVNI VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L CASABLANCA 000217 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG AND NEA/IPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL MO IS SUBJECT: MOROCCAN JEWISH LEADER REPORTS ON LIVNI VISIT REF: RABAT 931 Classified By: Consul General Millard for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The President of Morocco's Jewish Community characterized the recent visit of Tzipi Livni to Morocco as a "positive development" and claimed that given the right circumstances, Morocco is ready to take additional steps to publicly engage with Israel in support of the peace process. He also commented that Livni had been well received during her visits to Tangier and Marrakech and that media criticism and demonstrations were limited to a small number of Islamists. The Jewish leader noted that while it may take some time for the Moroccan public to "digest" the visit, he remained optimistic for future meetings. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Serge Berdugo, the President of the Moroccan Jewish Community and Morocco's Ambassador-at-Large for Jewish Affairs, told poloff and a visiting Staffdel from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that Livni's participation at the MEDays symposium in Tangiers November 19-21 had been a great success and was a positive development in Israeli-Moroccan relations. Berdugo hosted a dinner for Livni at his residence in Casablanca and accompanied her on a visit to Marrakech for a shopping tour of the old city. Berdugo was upbeat about the visit and said that Livni was recognized by Moroccans in Marrakech and given an overwhelmingly positive reception. Berdugo also reported that the two demonstrations by Islamist groups protesting Livni's presence in Tangier failed to muster more than two hundred people collectively, which he argued demonstrated the Moroccan people's tolerance for dealing with Israel. ¶3. (C) The main message to come out of Livni's visit, Berdugo said, was that Morocco is ready to take additional steps to publicly engage with Israel to foster the peace process if the conditions are right. He commented that Livni understands that Morocco can be a partner if it has the right incentive and can play an important role, but only if there is a viable chance for success. In a similar vein, Berdugo recounted that a few weeks back he met with President Mahmoud Abbas, while on a visit to Israel, who encouraged him to have the Moroccan expatriate Jews play a more active role in facilitating the peace process. "We are ready to do so," he said, "but we can only provide the fine tuning. The first step on to the stage has to be by the king." ¶4. (C) NOTE: Berdugo refused to comment on the official meetings between Livni and Government of Morocco (GOM) officials (although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided a read out to Embassy Rabat -- see reftel). Interestingly, Berdugo also reported that although Fouad Ali El Himma, the leader of the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM) and close political confidant of the king, was present for part of the MEDdays conference, he denied that a meeting had taken place between the two. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Morocco has long cultivated and encouraged ties with its Israeli expatriate community and believes it can use these relationships to act as an intermediary to foster the peace process. Livni's public visit is indicative of the public role of mediator that Morocco is eager to play. But as Berdugo stressed to us, Morocco is unlikely to take additional public steps to foster an Israeli-Moroccan relationship unless it believes that there is a credible and viable peace process underway. MILLARD