Thousands of protesters staged one of the largest pro-Palestinian marches in Rabat on Sunday since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, demanding an end to Morocco’s ties with Israel.
Protests against the Israel-Hamas War have repeatedly drawn thousands of people in Morocco since the conflict began more than two months ago, mostly led by pan-Arab and Islamist groups.
Sunday’s march was co-organized by leftist groups, and the outlawed-but-tolerated Al-Adl wal-Ihsan Islamists.
Most of the 10,000 protesters appeared to be Islamists, with men marching separately from women, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards reading “resistance till victory,” “stop Moroccan government normalization with Israel” and “free Palestine.”
The Abraham Accords
Morocco agreed to strengthen ties with Israel in 2020, under a deal brokered by the US administration under then President Donald Trump that also included Washington recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Protesters in Sunday’s march also called for a boycott of brands they accuse of supporting Israel.
Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, after Hamas terrorists burst across the border fence on Oct. 7 and went on a rampage through Israeli towns, killing 1,200 people and seizing 240 hostages.
Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health authorities say more than 20,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israeli strikes and a ground offensive, with thousands more missing and presumed dead under the rubble.
Despite their policy of normalizing ties with Israel, Moroccan authorities have continued to back the creation of a Palestinian state and have urged a ceasefire in Gaza and the protection of all civilians there.
Although Morocco and Israel have not yet completed the process of setting up full embassies in each other’s countries as they agreed, they have moved closer together, signing a defense cooperation pact.
