Moroccan Opposition Leader Calls for End to Israel Ties Amid Gaza Conflict

"It is time to put an end to this story of normalizing Morocco’s relations with the horrible criminal entity," Benkirane said on Thursday. Rabat and Tel Aviv resumed their bilateral relations in December 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, under the auspices of the United States. Last summer, Israel officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, recalls Europa Press.

The PJD Secretary General also expressed disappointment at the low turnout of the population in the demonstrations organized to condemn the Israeli bombings in Gaza, in response to the Hamas attack of October 7. "There is a low mobilization, including in Morocco, and the leaders have not fulfilled their duty of support" for the Palestinians, criticized the former Moroccan Prime Minister.

The day after the Hamas attack and the Israeli retaliation, the PJD had taken the lead in calling for the expulsion of the head of the Israeli liaison office in Rabat and for him to be declared persona non grata. Several demonstrations in support of the Palestinians have already been organized in Moroccan cities since October 7.

Meanwhile, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, representing King Mohammed VI, is attending this weekend’s Saudi Arabia-Africa summit on the Gaza conflict in Riyadh.