Thousands protest against Morocco-Israel ties in Casablanca: ‘No to normalization’

Thousands of Moroccans demonstrate in Casablanca in support of the Palestinian people and against ties with Israel, an AFP journalist reports, more than seven months into the Gaza war.

Protesters in Morocco’s commercial capital chant “Freedom for Palestine,” “If we don’t speak out, who will?” and “No to normalization,” with many wearing keffiyeh scarves and waving Palestinian flags.

A large protest in Casablanca in support to Gaza and against normalization with Israel pic.twitter.com/TvExOoZG56

— Hassan Hamed (@DrHassanHamed) May 19, 2024

The North African kingdom established diplomatic ties with Israel in late 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords which saw similar moves by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Under the deal, the United States recognized Morocco’s claim to sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, large-scale demonstrations in Morocco have called for the abrogation of the normalization accord.

Rabat has officially denounced what it says are “flagrant violations of the provisions of international law” by Israel in its war against Hamas, sparked by the terror group’s October 7 massacre, but has not given any indication that normalization with Israel would be undone.