El Othmani said that Morocco’s decision to resume diplomatic ties with Israel was a difficult one.
Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani delivered a message to the Palestinian people, that a “strong and unified” Morocco serves the Palestian cause better.
El Othmani made his remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera Channel on December 15, in light of the resumption of ties between Morocco and Israel.
US President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on December 10 that two “great friends” of the US agreed to establish full diplomatic ties, describing the move as a “massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East.”
Trump’s tweet accompanied US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
During the interview, El Othmani stressed that US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara is an “unprecedented victory.”
He argued that if Morocco is “submerged” in the fight to maintain its sovereignty over Western Sahara, it will be unable to optimally help Palestinians.
The same day Rabat agreed to resume diplomatic ties with Israel, King Mohammed VI phoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to express his vow that his position, and that of Morocco, to the Palestinian cause remains unchanged.
The King assured that “Morocco always places the Palestinian issue in the rank of the Moroccan Sahara issue, and that Morocco’s work to consolidate its Moroccanness will never be, neither today nor in the future, at the expense of the Palestinian people’s struggle for their legitimate rights.”
El Othmani affirmed that Morocco’s normalization with Israel took a long time precisely because it was a difficult decision to make.
He said that winning the Western Sahara battle required “the other openness [with Israel].”
During the interview, El Othmani recalled King Mohammed VI’s condemnation in 2017 of the US’ willingness to make Jerusalem Israel’s capital.
“The city of Al-Quds must remain a land of cohabitation and a symbol of coexistence and tolerance for all,” said King Mohammed VI.
El Othmani concluded that supporting the Palestinian cause has many aspects, which can be confusing, and that Morocco — with the leadership of King Mohammed VI — has its own “line” for dealing with it.
