Morocco: opposition to Israeli ties grows in Ramadan despite Gaza aid efforts

This Ramadan, Moroccans are integrating nightly pro-Palestine demonstrations into their post-iftar rituals, signalling a growing opposition to normalisation efforts amidst Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Following Tarawih prayers on Wednesday, dozens of worshipers head to Mohammed V Square in Rabat, holding prayer mats in one hand and ceasefire signs in the other. "Stop the genocide in Gaza...Stop the Moroccan state's normalisation with the Zionists," reads one sign.

Facing the parliament, the crowd chanted to revoke normalisation as they condemned the manufactured famine in the besieged strip of Gaza and Israel's obstruction of humanitarian aid entry since the start of Israel's war last October.

اسمع اسمع صوت أحرار وحرائر المغرب
مسيرة تجوب شوارع مكناس
13-03-2024 pic.twitter.com/q3cUemW0eY

— hassan bennajeh - حسن بناجح (@h_bennajeh) March 13, 2024

Similar scenes were witnessed in several cities around the North African kingdom, including Tangier and Meknes.

"We still adhere to and demand revoking the normalisation with the criminal Zionist entity committing unprecedented crimes in the history of humanity," added Mohamed Al-Ghafri, a member of the National Group Against Normalisation. Israel has killed at least 31,341 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since 7 October.

Despite the opposition, Rabat sees its ties with Tel Aviv as helpful for the Palestinian cause.

On Tuesday, a shipment of humanitarian aid weighing 40 tonnes from Morocco for Palestinians in Gaza began entering the besieged enclave via a land route, marking the first time the Kerem Shalom border crossing from Israel has been used for aid in five months of warfare.

"By securing a land route to deliver aid from within Israel, Morocco shows that its connections in Israel serve the cause of peace and defend the rights of Palestinians," a Moroccan diplomatic source told Reuters.

The @AbrahamAccords ARE WORKING! I am proud and happy to witness this landmark moment, as The Abraham Accords made it possible for the @UN to deliver food and aid from @Morocco to Northern Gaza--THROUGH ISRAEL. @AbrahamAccords continue to make a difference in the world. pic.twitter.com/czIY6yRXmA

— David T. Fischer (@DavidTFischer) March 13, 2024

David T. Fischer, Washington's envoy to Rabat, also said that the Abraham Accords "made it possible" for the UN to deliver food and aid from Morocco to northern Gaza— through Israel.

"Abraham Accords continue to make a difference in the world," David T. Fischer, one of the key players in Morocco and Israel normalisation, wrote Wednesday on X.

Morocco normalised ties with Israel late in 2020 under the US auspices.

While promising an enduring partnership with Tel Aviv, Rabat has also pledged to remain committed to the Palestinian cause - "one of the priorities of its foreign policy under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, who chairs the Al-Quds committee," as Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has insisted several times.

However, local pro-Palestine groups have refuted Rabat's logic for the past three years, arguing that there's no possible balance between standing with the oppressed and the oppressor.

Israeli officials leaving Morocco and Rabat refusing to comment on their ties status with Tel Aviv since 7 October have buoyed the hopes of anti-normalisation groups for an imminent announcement of revoking relations with Israel — like the one Rabat made in early 2000 amid the second Intifada.

However, if recent statements from Moroccan officials prove one thing, Rabat is far from walking back from normalisation. Instead, it's still trying to establish the benefits of its stance towards the opposition.