Middle East Monitor / December 29, 2020
A group of lawyers in Morocco appealed to the Supreme Court today requesting the annulment of all decisions that promote relations between the North African country and Israel, signed as part of the normalisation deal.
According to Anadolu Agency, this includes a reversal in “political, diplomatic, economic and tourism spheres.”
The petition comes after Morocco and Israel agreed to normalise relations in a deal brokered with US help earlier this month.
Trump sealed the agreement in a phone call with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. As part of the deal, the US recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara region, a disputed area claimed by both Rabat and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.
Rabat says the move is not normalisation, but rather a resumption of official relations that began in 1993 but were suspended in 2002.
The lawyers, however, added that the decisions that have been taken as part of the normalisation process are against the general administration of Morocco as well as against the Constitution, the United Nations Convention, international legitimacy and the Vienna conventions.
The agreement with Israel also drew condemnation from Palestinians.
After the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco became the fourth Arab country to normalise ties with Israel this year. While welcoming the resumption of relations with Israel, the king claimed Morocco’s position regarding Palestine remains unchanged.
