Morocco's Mohammed VI blames Israel for 'escalations' in Gaza, calls for ceasefire
Morocco's Mohammed VI blames Israel for 'escalations' in Gaza, calls for ceasefire
Although the war on Gaza may have slowed down the pace of normalisation with Tel Aviv, analysts say that Morocco is unlikely to sever ties with Israel.
3 min read
Since last October, Rabat has faced increasing social and political pressure to revoke the normalisation agreement. (Getty)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI has the escalating situation in the Palestinian territories to Israel, as Rabat faces increasing pressure to sever ties with Tel Aviv amid its war on Gaza.
"This tense situation is exacerbated by a resurgence of systematic attacks by extremist settlers in the West Bank, instigated by Israeli government officials," stated the monarch in his speech at the Summit Conference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Saturday 4 May.
Over the weekend, Moroccan Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq represented the monarch at the 15th Summit Conference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Gambia.
جلالة الملك يوجه خطابا إلى القمة الـ 15 لمنظمة التعاون الإسلامي
— Agence MAP (@MAP_Information)
وفي ما يلي نص الخطاب الملكي الذي تلاه وزير الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية السيد أحمد التوفيق
🔽🔽
The summit was convened in response to the ongoing Israel's genocide in Gaza, which killed over 34,600 people in the strip.
Toufiq stated that the Moroccan King, as President of the Al-Quds Committee, is urging an immediate "cessation of Israel’s illegal unilateral measures in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem."
The monarch's speech also reiterated demands for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and the authorisation of humanitarian aid delivery throughout the Gaza Strip.
Since last October, Rabat has faced increasing social and political pressure to revoke the normalisation agreement it signed with Tel Aviv late in 2020 under US auspices.
On 15 October 2023, Morocco witnessed its largest pro-Palestine rally since normalisation — a million march where hundreds of thousands chanted for an end to the Abraham Accords.
Since then, pro-Palestine protests have fostered solidarity among the North African kingdom's myriad of political parties, uniting long-standing rivals — socialists and Islamists — who have strongly advocated for an end to Morocco's normalisation with Israel.
This January, the Moroccan government declined to receive a petition, endorsed by over 10,200 signatures, urging the reversal of normalisation with Israel, according to pro-Palestine activists.
Rabat argued that the refusal was merely due to a bureaucratic technicality.
Although Israel's war on Gaza may have cooled the pace of normalisation with Tel Aviv, analysts predict that Morocco is unlikely to sever ties with Israel.
In March, Rabat reaffirmed its ongoing normalisation with Israel, emphasising its benefits for the Palestinian people.
"By securing a land route to deliver aid from within Israel, Morocco demonstrates that its connections in Israel serve the cause of peace and defend the rights of Palestinians," a Moroccan diplomatic source told Reuters after Rabat managed to secure a land route for aid, marking a first since the conflict began.
Nonetheless, local anti-normalisation activists are determined to pressure Rabat to reverse normalisation, as they did in the early 2000s amid the second Intifada.
After the Oslo Accords, Morocco established diplomatic relations with Israel for the first time "to maintain dialogue and understanding." However, Rabat terminated ties with Israel's brutality during the second Intifada amid increasing opposition from the Moroccan public towards Tel Aviv.
"We will not give up until normalisation is reversed and the Israeli office in Rabat is closed," says Aziz Hanaoui, a member of the Moroccan group against normalisation.
