THE HAGUE, Netherlands (JTA) — The Dutch foreign minister urged Moroccan King Mohammed VI to scrap bills submitted to parliament that would criminalize contacts with Israel.
Frans Timmermans made the statement Thursday in the Dutch lower house, De Tweede Kamer, according to a report by the Novum news agency.
The two bills, which five political parties jointly sponsored this summer, make it illegal to trade with Israeli entities. At least one bill proposes to make it illegal for Israelis to enter Morocco, according Ya Biladi, a Moroccan daily newspaper.
“The very headline of these bills is alarming,” Timmermans said, adding the king and government should act to prevent them from passing into law.
Morocco’s royal family routinely rebuffs bids to downgrade ties with Israel, which were established in 1994.
“I rely on the wisdom of Morocco but will remain vigilant on this issue,” Timmermans said in reply to a parliamentary query on the issue.
According to the European Jewish Congress, Morocco has a Jewish population of 3,000.
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