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