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Raising of Israeli flag in Marrakech ignites fire in Morocco

The National Working Group for Palestine described the act of raising Israel’s flag in Morocco as a “provocation of Moroccans’ feelings” given their historic support for Palestine

November 9, 2016 at 5:00 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUcfxW4wgeQ&feature=youtu.be

On Tuesday, local Moroccan human rights organisations denounced the raising of the Israeli flag in the at the United Nations climate conference, UNFCCC Cop 22, which kicked off in the northern city of Marrakesh on Monday.

The National Working Group for Palestine, an NGO, said in a statement that it rejects raising the Israeli flag in Marrakesh and “an Israeli presence on Moroccan territory.”

The group added that it is “opposed to all forms of normalisation [of relations] with Israel under any pretext whatsoever; opposed to the provocation of Moroccans’ feelings and the violation of the nation’s sovereignty and dignity; and opposed to supporting terrorism, criminality and racism.”

The group will organise a protest on Wednesday against raising the Israeli flag and against Israelis’ presence in Marrakesh, according to the statement.

The protest will be held outside the Moroccan parliament in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

Another non-governmental organisation, the Moroccan Association for Supporting the Nation’s Causes, called on the Moroccan people to “express its rejection of these uncalculated steps, which contradicts Moroccans’ love for Palestine and reinforce the Occupation’s crimes.”

In a press statement, the association described the act of raising Israel’s flag in Morocco as a “provocation of Moroccans’ feelings” given their historic support for Palestine.

The association considered the incident as “a new step towards normalisation in a series of steps that have become more frequent in the past two years.”

Similarly, Aziz Hinawi, a member of the Moroccan Initiative for Support and Advocacy, posted a video on Facebook featuring the Israeli flag being burnt – a symbolic token signifying rejection for the raising of the Israeli flag at the Cop 22 in Marrakesh.

The conference addresses several issues related to climate, most notably the ways to curb climate change effects and mechanisms for the provision of 100 billion dollars that were promised by developed countries to help developing countries overcome the negative repercussions of climate change in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.

King Mohamed VI of Morocco heads the Jerusalem Committee, which was established in 1975 based on a recommendation by the foreign ministers of member states of the Organisation of Islamic Conference. The committee aims to protect the city of Jerusalem from Israeli schemes, including Judalization.