Opposition in Morocco grows over upgrading relations with “Israel”

RABAT, Sept. 20 (YPA) – Opposition in Morocco is growing over a decision to upgrade relations with Israel from liaison offices to embassies and exchange ambassadors, with political and civil society groups calling for the move to be reversed and for all forms of normalization to be halted.

The Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Opposing Normalization is preparing to hold protests and marches in several cities on September 25, 26 and 27 against the expansion of normalization into economic, trade, security and military spheres.

The National Action Group for Palestine and the Moroccan Initiative for Support and Advocacy also rejected the decision to raise diplomatic representation and called for a complete severing of ties.

The Justice and Development Party and the Unity and Reform Movement reiterated their opposition to normalization, while the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization called for the process to be halted and the Israeli liaison office closed.

The Israeli occupation’s Foreign Ministry announced on September 16 that it had reached an agreement with Morocco to upgrade relations to the embassy level and exchange ambassadors, following a meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers and the US ambassador to the United Nations.

The move follows the resumption of Moroccan-Israeli relations in late 2020, amid the continuing war in the Gaza Strip and growing popular opposition to normalization in Morocco.

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