Morocco: former PM Benkirane says he would not have normalised links with Israel

The secretary-general of the Justice and Development Party and former prime minister of Morocco has said that if he was still in office he would not have normalised links with Israel. Abdelilah Benkirane made his comment during a speech on Saturday at the party’s 18th National Youth Forum.

Benkirane noted that he asked Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani, who signed the agreement on behalf of the government in 2020, to submit his resignation, telling him to “resign and keep your dignity.” He also revealed that he asked King Mohammed VI to relieve Othmani of his position.

In previous statements, Benkirane confirmed that he is still waiting for an explanation from Othmani about what prompted him to sign the agreement with Israel, noting that the party rejected normalisation at the time and will continue to reject it in the future. He clarified that the decision to normalise was not coordinated with Othmani, but he understood his position.

Othmani has described his signing of the agreement as “painful and difficult,” noting that it was a “state decision” given his position as head of government at the time. Nevertheless, he insisted that the normalisation decision was not made at the expense of the Palestinian cause. The decision sparked widespread controversy inside Morocco and beyond, which led to criticism of the Justice and Development Party.

The normalisation agreement between Morocco and Israel was announced on 20 December, 2020, under the auspices of the then US President Donald Trump within the framework of the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements pushed by Washington to strengthen relations between Israel and several Arab countries. It followed years of informal relations and limited cooperation between Morocco and the occupation state, especially on commercial and cultural matters.

Morocco made some political and diplomatic gains by signing the deal, notably America’s recognition of the Kingdom’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. Diplomatic relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv were restored, having been suspended since 2000. They each opened diplomatic liaison offices in the other’s capital, opening the door to broader economic, commercial, security and cultural cooperation. Tourism, technology, agriculture, energy and innovation links were boosted.

The normalisation deal met with mixed reactions domestically and regionally. In Morocco, many political parties, especially the Islamic, nationalist and leftist groups, as well as human rights movements, criticised the agreement as a break with the Kingdom’s historical positions on the Palestinian issue.

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