Benkirane slams Morocco FM for 'defending' Israel

Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has been slammed for allegedly “defending the Zionist entity” during meetings with African and European officials.

The Justice and Development Party (PJD) denounced Bourita’s remarks during a meeting with the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi last week, in which he talked about tripartite regional cooperation and the “opportunities that it grants for development between Morocco, the European Commission and Israel.”

PJD Secretary-General Abdelilah Benkirane said: “As the Israeli occupation continues its criminal aggression against our Palestinian brothers, particularly in Nablus, Morocco’s foreign minister appears to be a defender of Israel.”

He stressed “the national position that considers the Palestinian cause at the same level as our national cause,” noting that “the religious, historical and humanitarian duty requires doubling efforts at this critical stage in defending Palestine and Jerusalem in facing the escalation of provocations and aggressive Zionist practices.”

The party has previously warned against normalising ties with the occupation state of Israel and tried to block two draft agreements with Israel that were approved by the House of Representatives.

Morocco agreed to reestablish ties with Israel in December 2020 in return for the US recognising its sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

READ: Morocco artillery inspector visits Israel