Moroccans lift placards and Palestinian flags during a protest in Rabat on Dec. 24, 2023 in solidarity with Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (Credit: AFP)
Dec 24 — 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, mostly led by pan-Arab and Islamist groups, against Israel's war in Gaza have repeatedly drawn
out thousands of people in Morocco since the conflict began more
than two months ago.
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."
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 militants burst across the border fence on
Oct. 7 resulting in the death of
1,200 people living in the Gaza envelope, a series of villages and kibbutzim surrounding the besieged Gaza Strip. Militants from Gaza also took around 240 hostages back to the Strip, where it is estimated a little over a hundred hostages still remain.
Since then, Gaza's 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 cease-fire 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.
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, mostly led by pan-Arab and Islamist groups, against Israel's war in Gaza have repeatedly drawn
out thousands of people in Morocco since the conflict began more
than...