Morocco’s King Rejects Netanyahu Visit Amid US-Brokered Normalization Talks

Benjamin Netanyahu is unwelcome in Rabat. A report published by Axios indicates that King Mohammed VI quickly stifled his idea of joining Morocco during the visit of the US Secretary of State, reports Channel 12.

Similarly, the Mike Pompeo-Mohammed VI meeting did not take place due to "incompatibility of schedules" and a "time difference" problem. But it is rather the normalization of relations with Israel that is the main cause, according to some indiscretions. This subject was indeed to be discussed between the US Secretary of State and the Sovereign. According to the same report, Morocco is one of the Arab countries in the Middle East on which the United States is counting to advance the normalization of relations with the Jewish state.

Morocco’s position towards Israel remains constant. The Kingdom refuses to recognize the "State of Israel". And, King Mohammed VI, president of the Al Quds Committee, is a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinians. This means that the Sovereign takes a dim view of any initiatives towards the normalization of relations with Israel. In 2017, the Head of State had canceled his participation in a West African summit in order to avoid meeting Netanyahu.

For its part, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister has described the report as a "lie".