'Tears and regrets': Morocco's PJD, party that signed Israel normalisation deal, rallies around Palestine for 2026 election

Morocco's Justice and Development Party (PJD), which oversaw the country's normalisation agreement with Israel in 2020, has placed support for Palestine at the heart of its political agenda, as it struggles to recover ahead of the 2026 national elections.

Delegates re-elected Abdelilah Benkirane, a former prime minister, as secretary-general during the party's ninth national congress this weekend in the coastal town of Bouznika.

In his first address after securing a new term, Benkirane pledged that the PJD would redouble its backing for Palestine, describing it as a "moral, religious, and national duty" that "does not change with the times."

"We stand with Gaza and with Palestine, always and forever", Benkirane told supporters gathered in the town's congress centre.

At one emotional moment, as a tribute song honouring Palestinian martyrs echoed through the hall, Benkirane was seen wiping away tears—a moment that sparked debate across local media and social media platforms, with some interpreting it as a sign of regret and others see it as theatrics to influence voters.

The Islamist party, which has maintained close ties with Hamas despite its role in the normalisation agreement, had invited a Hamas delegation to attend the congress.

However, according to party officials, visa issues prevented the Palestinian group from participating in person.

Instead, Hamas representatives joined virtually, a gesture Benkirane said symbolised the enduring alliance between the two movements.

Benkirane also announced that he had received a congratulatory message from Abdel Salam Haniyeh, the son of the late Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The invitation extended to Hamas, a group locked in a war with Israel in the besieged Gaza Strip, drew strong criticism from pro-normalisation circles within Morocco. Some commentators called on the Interior Ministry to ban the congress altogether.

The PJD's renewed focus on Palestine marks a notable shift as the party seeks to reconnect with its traditional base, following a devastating electoral defeat in 2021, when it lost nearly 90 percent of its parliamentary seats.

Many analysts attributed the party's collapse to its association with the controversial normalisation agreement, brokered by the United States in exchange for American recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.

At the time, party leaders portrayed the agreement as a matter of state obligation. Yet, the decision fractured its support, particularly among voters sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

Notably absent from the Bouznika gathering was Saad Eddine El-Othmani, the PJD's former leader and prime minister who had signed the Abraham Accords.

El-Othmani resigned shortly from the PJD's leadership after the electoral rout, paving the way for Benkirane's political comeback.

Since then, Benkirane has publicly called on him to apologise for the normalisation decision — a request El-Othmani has declined, insisting it was a "state decision" made in Morocco's national interest.

During the congress, Benkirane also directed criticism at the current government, accusing the Interior Ministry of withholding public funds that the party claims were owed to it for organising the event.

He vowed to pursue legal action, declaring, "the honourable Interior Minister should prepare himself for a lawsuit before the administrative court."

Forced to finance the congress through internal contributions alone, Benkirane portrayed the PJD as politically isolated but unbowed. "[We are] not tied to America, Russia, the Gulf, or even the state itself."

The congress also served as a launchpad for the PJD's positioning ahead of the 2026 elections.

Benkirane issued warnings against electoral irregularities and promised a confrontational stance if the party perceived injustice. "We will go into elections, and if our rights are taken, we will not remain silent."

Beyond its defence of Palestine, the PJD vowed to protect Morocco's territorial integrity and to combat what it described as the corruption of politics through money.

"We must sever the link between politics and money," Benkirane told delegates, in a thinly veiled rebuke of current Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, a billionaire tycoon whose long-standing rivalry with Benkirane dates back to 2016.

At the time, Benkirane, then serving as prime minister, was forced to step down after months of political deadlock, widely seen as fuelled by Akhannouch's manoeuvring to block the formation of a coalition government.

As the evening wore on and delegates trickled out into the cool Bouznika night, the main message of the PJD congress was clear: the party, once a dominant force, now seems wounded and politically isolated. It stands as an outsider once more, much like it did in 2011, when it swept to power on a wave of support from voters who believed it as a bulwark against the entrenched political elite.

Yet, a decade in power (2011-2021), marred by several missteps, including the 'unforgivable' decision to normalise relations with Israel, has left the party seeking redemption, now relying on Benkirane's tears and words to regain its standing and lost popularity.