Morocco Balances Peace Efforts and Israel Relations Amid Regional Tensions

The first reason given is that King Mohammed VI, in his capacity as President of the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has over the past 20 years supported a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, says Edward M. Gabriel, a contributor to The Hill. Normalizing relations with Israel could therefore jeopardize this initiative. Even if Moroccans represent the second community after the Russians in Israel, normalization is not yet on Morocco’s agenda.

"The persistent Israeli practices in violation of international legitimacy and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territories are fueling tensions, violence, instability and sowing the seeds of religious conflict and hatred," the sovereign declared in November 2019. King Mohammed VI and his people have repeatedly reiterated their support for Palestine.

The timing chosen for normalization is the second reason that explains Morocco’s position. The United States has recently called on Arab countries, including Morocco, to normalize their relations with Israel, while the US presidential election is scheduled for November 3. The kingdom does not intend to interfere in US politics. Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of the United States since 1777 and one of the first countries to sign a treaty of peace and friendship with Uncle Sam’s country. Since then, each sovereign has avoided intervening in US politics.