Moroccan PM slams Trump plan, pledges backing for Palestinians after Israel deal
Saad-Eddine El Othmani, who previously expressed opposition to normalization with Jewish state, lashes out at White House peace framework and alleged efforts to ‘Judaize’ Jerusalem

Morocco’s prime minister on Friday said the decision to normalize ties with Israel as part of a US-brokered agreement would not affect Rabat’s support for the Palestinians.
Saad-Eddine El Othmani, noted Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s phone call Thursday to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, after US President Donald Trump announced Israel and Morocco would normalize relations.
As part of the announcement, Trump said that the US would recognize Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara region — a long-time ambition of the kingdom, which views control of the region as a key interest.
“Yesterday, King Mohammed VI called President Abbas, to tell him that His Majesty’s position in support of the Palestinian cause remains unshakeable, and that Morocco places it at the same level of Sahara issue,” Othmani said in a statement.
Othmani, who heads the conservative Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), lashed out at Trump’s peace plan and alleged Israeli efforts to “Judaize” Jerusalem.
“We also adopt this principle [in the government], with our constant emphasis on rejecting the Deal of the Century, and all violations of the Israeli occupation authorities, especially the recent attempts to Judaize Jerusalem,” he said.
“The Moroccan position, in general, remains constantly supportive of the Palestinian cause,” he added.

In August, Othmani denied Morocco would normalize ties with Israel, after the United Arab Emirates did so. The UAE decision was later followed by Bahrain and Sudan.
“We refuse any normalization with the Zionist entity because this emboldens it to go further in breaching the rights of the Palestinian people,” Othmani said at the time.
He later appeared to walk back the remarks, saying his opposition to warming ties with Jerusalem was made in his capacity as leader of his party, not as prime minister.
The Palestinian Authority has remained silent on the Israel-Morocco agreement, while Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad denounced it as a “betrayal.”
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman have all praised the deal, as have the foreign ministers of the European Union, Spain, and Czech Republic. An Iranian official on Friday called it a “betrayal and a stab in the back” of the Palestinians.
Israel and Morocco established low-level diplomatic relations during the 1990s following a thawing of ties between Israel and the Palestinians. Those contacts, however, were suspended in 2002 in response to the Second Intifada. Since then, however, the relationship has continued informally, with tens of thousands of Israelis traveling to Morocco every year.

Explaining the decision to normalize, King Mohammad cited among other reasons the long-standing presence of Jews in Morocco. An estimated 50,000 Israelis — many of whom are descendants of Moroccan Jews who left in the 1950s — travel to Morocco each year on trips, learning about the Jewish community and retracing family histories.
“Morocco has played a historic role in bringing the peoples of the region together and supporting security and stability in the Middle East… [there are] special ties that bind the Jewish community of Moroccan origin, including those in Israel, to the person of His Majesty the King,” the statement said.
The move is likely to raise hackles in Morocco. According to one recent poll, only 16 percent of Moroccans have a favorable view of Israel, while 70% view Israel unfavorably.
Unlike the other countries which have normalized ties with Israel over the past few months, Morocco has a genuine opposition and civil society. While true power largely lies with the monarchy, the parliament has been controlled by the PJD since 2011.
Agencies contributed to this report