In response to Hamas’ offensive against Israel and the subsequent reprisals, Morocco has adopted a neutral tone. Rabat, which normalized its diplomatic relations with the Jewish state almost three years ago, “condemned attacks against civilians wherever they are” and called for “an immediate end to all acts of violence,” according to a Moroccan press release published on Saturday in October Diplomacy 7. “The position of a goldsmith,” summarizes the historian Pierre Vermeren, “so as not to come into conflict neither with public opinion, nor with the West, nor with Israel, which is their de facto ally.” »
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Rabat joined the Abraham Accords in 2020, a Washington-brokered agreement between Israel and several Arab countries. In return for this rapprochement, the United States, under then-led Donald Trump, recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a territory disputed between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario separatists.
Since then, Israeli officials have repeatedly visited the kingdom and cooperation has been established in all directions in the fields of military, security, economics, trade and even tourism. Agreements that in reality formalized six decades of unacknowledged relationships in which exchanges took place in secret. In July, Israel recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, paving the way for strengthening relations between the two countries.
“Normalization is a dead end”
Nevertheless, pro-Palestinian sympathies and hostility toward this approach remain entrenched in the country. According to a survey published in 2022 by the non-partisan research network Arab Barometer, only 31% of Moroccans would be in favor of normalization. On Sunday, hundreds of Moroccans gathered in 33 cities across the country to demonstrate their “solidarity with the Palestinian resistance” at the call of the Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine and Against Normalization, a coalition of 19 political parties, unions and associations.
Under flags in the colors of Palestine, the demonstrators also expressed their resistance to rapprochement with Israel. “The situation shows that normalization is hopeless,” defends Sion Assidon, activist of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS, which aims to boycott Israel) and member of the Front: “It went all the way to the stadium of a military alliance.” , hoping that Morocco would find protection there. But is an ally worth having if it can’t protect itself? It is time to reverse course and cut all ties with the occupier. »
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