Mohamed Jegham
Informed Comment / August 27, 2024
Istanbul – The Palestinian question has been a central topic for the Arab world for many decades now. Over the years, Arab leaders have used the Palestinian cause as one of their talking points to gain support from the populace. Over the last decade, however, the topic began to lose steam, especially thanks to the Abraham Accords that led to some Arab countries following Egypt and Jordan in normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Against opposing voices and detractors, to explain their new-found ties with Israel these nations provided the excuse of seeking peace and stability in the region and a peaceful way for securing a Palestinian state.
But the recent war on Gaza has reignited the importance of ‘the Palestinian question’ and reinvigorated Arabs’ passion for this cause leading to many protests and demonstrations against their countries and against normalization with Israel.
Over 40 Moroccan cities, including Fez, Marrakesh, Agadir and Tangier, saw regular demonstrations in favor of Palestine this summer. In early August, the Israeli assassination of the head of the civilian Hamas politburo provoked large crowds to come into the streets. Earlier, in Tangier, Morocco, thousands of protesters had filled the streets chanting “Gaza is not alone” in protest at an Israeli ship docking in Tangier. The Israeli newspaper Globes revealed that “The new Israeli Navy landing ship INS Komemiyut docked at the port of Tangier, Morocco, for supplies while sailing from the United States to Israel,”
Not long after, this incident escalated into a full-on demonstration in Tangier where Moroccan anti-normalization activists condemned the government’s silence and accused the country’s officials of being complicit in the genocide in Gaza.
The normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel dates back to 2020 when Morocco officially established relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. The biggest incentive for the Moroccan Kingdom to sign this deal was to gain official recognition from the US for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara territory, a territory that’s been under dispute for a long time. While an economic and diplomatic gain for Morocco, no doubt, this deal was not without its difficulties. Morocco and other countries that established relations with Israel had to stifle their own citizens by harassing, censoring and undermining any voices opposing the deal.
However, after the 7th of October and the current state of war in Gaza, Morocco alongside other Arab countries, had to show solidarity with Palestinians despite their involvement with Israel. In the case of Morocco, Rabat officially denounced the war and called Israeli actions “flagrant violations of the provisions of international law”. Yet, the absence of any talk about reversing the Abraham Accords revealed the truth that the leaders of Morocco are walking a tightrope trying to please both their enraged citizens and salvaging relations with The US and Israel. Despite the government’s attempts to play both sides, the streets haven’t been quiet. Since the war on Gaza started, dozens of demonstrations in Morocco erupted in support of Palestine.
The Moroccan government has not been happy about these demonstrations. For instance, on May 15th during Nakba day Rabat local authorities stopped a Pro-Palestinian march from happening over ‘logistical issues.’ Saied Hannaoui, a leading figure of the Moroccan opposition to normalization, spoke out about this ban, calling it “a backward authoritarian decision. It reflects the continued tyranny that imposes normalization on the Moroccan people,”
The crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests is nothing new to Morocco or the region. According to Amnesty International, in recent years, countries like Morocco with close ties to Israel have been wary of any dissent towards their deals with Israel. This led these countries to practice censorship, make arrests and institute a ban demonstrations and any anti-normalization voices.
However, despite the government’s attempts to restrain its people, Moroccans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s policies and their support for Palestine throughout the war in Gaza.
The major demonstration in Tangier earlier this summer provides an excellent case study of how volatile the situation is in Morocco and other Arab nations. The demonstration, which was organized by the Moroccan Front, saw leftist parties and Islamist movements come together in support of Gaza’s Palestinians and against the continuation of Morocco’s ties with Israel. The choice of the coastal city of Tangier is relevant as reports claim that an Israeli ship coming from the US had docked at Tangier in June to restock. The fact that Morocco had agreed to have an Israeli ship dock at one of its ports escalated tensions between the people and the government. “Allowing the Israeli warship to dock is, unfortunately, a participation in the genocide of the Palestinian people, and support to the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” said Mohamed El-Ghafry, coordinator of the Moroccan Front Against Normalization.
In a press release, the Front saw that “turning a blind eye to the passage of such ships” as a “violation of the International Court of Justice’s decision following South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel” and “a compromise of our national sovereignty.”
Despite the people’s attempts to sway the government’s opinion on its diplomatic ties with Israel, Morocco seems to see benefits in having these ties with Israel. One anonymous source from the Moroccan foreign ministry insisted in March to Reuters that these ties hold benefits for furthering the cause of the Palestinian people. Whether these claims have merit or not, the people of Morocco do not seem to be swayed by this rhetoric and instead are pushing more and more for Morocco to cancel the Abraham Accords.
The Moroccan government, alongside other Arab countries, is attempting to be supportive of the Palestinian cause while at the same time remaining cordial or even more than cordial with Israel. In light of these recent developments in the country’s streets, is the government’s way of handling this very delicate situation any longer sustainable?
Mohamed Jegham, an Informed Comment regular, is from Tunisia
