Rabat – Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani held a phone conversation with political chief of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh to discuss the Palestinian cause.
In a tweet, El Othmani said he received a phone call from the Palestinian politician to discuss the latest developments in the conflict, including the US Middle East Peace Plan known as the “deal of the century.”
The Hamas leader spoke with El Othmani about the Palestinian Authority’s unanimous rejection of the US peace plan, emphasizing the importance of support from Arab countries.
He also “praised the [Moroccan] King’s support for the Palestinian people” as well as his efforts to defend the status of Jerusalem.
Morocco is among the Arab countries that reacted to the peace plan with official statements in the wake of Trump’s speech to unveil the plan in a joint press conference with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
The deal is biased towards Israel, angering the Palestinian authority.
Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas said Jerusalem is not for sale, adding that the deal will be thrown into the “dustbin of history.”
The Moroccan government issued several statements to express support for the Palestinian cause.
The first statement was from Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying that it appreciates the Trump administration’s efforts to end the conflict.
The statement added, however, that Morocco also supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Observers found Morocco’s response to the deal of the century at odds with the country’s traditional position of unerring support for the Palestinian cause.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, however, said today at the House of Councillors that what “matters is the position of the Palestinian Authority on our position, not what the press says.”
The official said it is Palestine that has the right to “accept or reject the deal.”
He said Moroccans should not be “Palestinians more than Palestinians themselves.”
The North African country made similar statements during its participation at the emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on February 1.
The statement reiterated that the conflict should be solved on the basis of the two-state solution.
“The resolution of the Palestinian issue is the key to stability in the Middle-East.”
Morocco also maintained that the solution should guarantee the legitimate rights of Palestinians to “achieve an independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
