The decision to suspend Eid Al-Adha 2020 taken by the local authorities in Ceuta is not to the liking of the city’s Muslims. The same goes for the ban on importing sheep from Morocco to Melilla where the festival will be celebrated.
While Europe has decided to open its borders with Morocco on July 1st, Ceuta and Melilla want to derogate from the rule. The two Spanish enclaves have decided to keep their borders with the kingdom closed until July 9th.
Spain has just decided to extend the closure of its borders with Morocco. Thus, it will be impossible for any Moroccan or even foreigner to go to Ceuta or Melilla before July 1st.
Unlike the city of Ceuta , Melilla has not banned the Eid al-Adha festival this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the celebration will have to take place in strict privacy.
Morocco has announced repatriation operations for its nationals stranded in Spain, without mentioning those stuck in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. This decision is not to the liking of the far-right party "Vox".
The information that Jewish businessmen from Ceuta and Melilla would have been approached to invest in Morocco is "false", according to Jaime Azancot, president of the Israelite community of Melilla, who believes that if it were true, it would have been the subject of more official treatment.
The royal palace would have directly contacted by telephone Jewish citizens of Ceuta and Melilla to offer them to settle in the border commercial areas of the kingdom, near Beni Ensar and Fnideq.
The annual " Marhaba " operation organized by Morocco, scheduled to start in June, has been postponed due to the current pandemic context. While several European countries have already announced the date of opening of their borders, Morocco is slow to make a decision regarding its start.
Morocco should organize its "Operation Marhaba 2020" from July 15, 2020 without referring to Spain.
The halt of repatriation operations for Moroccans stranded in the enclave of Melilla has sparked anger and incomprehension.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has welcomed the initiative of the Spanish government that has allowed a 12-year-old Moroccan girl to be enrolled in school in Melilla , despite the illegal situation of her mother.
Smuggling is no longer allowed in Ceuta and Melilla. The Moroccan government has decided to permanently close its border posts with the Spanish enclaves to hamalas (carriers) and major smugglers.