Morocco Faces Pressure to Sever Ties with Israel Amid Gaza Conflict

Will the same causes produce the same effects? Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, many Moroccans and political parties are expressing their support for Palestine and calling on Morocco, which restored its diplomatic relations with the Hebrew state in December 2020 under the aegis of the United States in exchange for the American recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, to cut ties with Tel Aviv as the kingdom had done in 2000 in reaction notably to Israel’s brutality during the second Intifada. On Sunday, thousands of Moroccans gathered in front of the Moroccan parliament, where a national march turned into a popular referendum, reports the AP agency.

"Are you in favor of normalization with Israel?" In unison, they answered in the negative. "They now have their answer. Those who support normalization with the Israeli entity are a discordant minority within Moroccan society that breathes the Palestinian cause," declared Abderrahim Chikhi, former leader of the Movement of Unity and Reform, to the The New Arab newspaper. They also chanted slogans in favor of a "free Palestine" and the criminalization of normalization with the "apartheid state of Israel." "We don’t need anyone to help us solve our national problems. The Zionist entity has only come here for its own benefit," said Nabila Mounib, leader of the opposition socialist party during the demonstration, considering that normalization is a failure.

Saâdeddine El-Othmani, former head of government (2016 to 2021) and former leader of the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) who did not participate in the national demonstration, supported the Palestinian resistance to liberate its land in social media posts. Last year, the Islamist party that has shifted into opposition apologized for signing the normalization and promised to put pressure to cancel it.