Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – A video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a world map, depicting Morocco’s map as divided excluding its southern provinces in the Western Sahara stirred significant frustration and renewed calls for severing ties with Israel.
Moroccans took to social media to swiftly react to the controversial video, which is part of an interview that Netanyahu had with French television channel TF1 on Thursday.
Many have viewed Netanyahu’s use of a divided Moroccan map as a blatant disregard for Morocco’s territorial integrity– despite Israel’s recent decision to recognize the country’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
A few hours following the controversy, an official from the Israeli government responded to the controversy, claiming that the situation was merely an “unintentional error.”
“Due to an unintentional error, a significant media uproar was caused regarding a map used by Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, which depicted the map of Morocco without its Sahara,” a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Arabic media Hassan Kaabi said.
“I offer clarification to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, and to his esteemed people and government, stating: ‘ Morocco is in its Sahara until God inherits the earth and everything on it. We also apologize for this technical error,” he wrote on X on Thursday.
Despite the apology from the Israeli government, many Moroccans remain skeptical about the situation, viewing Netanyahu’s use of a divided Moroccan map as a deliberate provocation against the North African kingdom’s territorial integrity.
Not an error
The timing of the divided map controversy also intensified suspicions as to it coincides with Morocco’s frequent statements, echoing condemnation and rejection of Israel’s blatant aggressions targeting civilians in Gaza.
Notably, Morocco on Thursday renewed its concerns about the situation, particularly Israel’s merciless campaign in Rafah.
During the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab-Cooperation Forum, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita condemned the international community’s failure to address the situation in Gaza.
He said this failure encourages the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to continue their aggressions against civilians in Rafah.
Morocco also described the decision of Spain, Ireland, and Norway’s decision to recognize Palestine’s statehood as “an important step.”
In regards to the statement made by Kaabi, many Moroccans took to social media to share their opinions, with one netizen saying, “ It seems that Netanyahu’s unintentional errors have become countless.”
Another one said, “Moroccans know how to distinguish between intentional and unintentional mistakes. For me and those who share my opinion, it doesn’t matter whether it was intentional or not. We know that those who are capable of killing children are not incapable of dividing a map.”
Many others echoed similar sentiments, with one, saying “There are no mistakes, only blackmail messages. Anyone who divides my county three times is my enemy.”
The netizen stressed that this is not the first time Netanyahu has made a similar “unintentional” labeled mistake.
In December 2020, Netanyahu made a similar act, angering Moroccans for displaying a divided map of Morocco.
Read Also: Netanyahu Angers Moroccans for Displaying Divided Map of Morocco
Since then, others have renewed the call for severing ties with Israel, not only due to its use of a divided Moroccan map, but also due to its ongoing aggression and merciless massacres targeting civilians, including children, throughout Gaza.
Morocco has been home to weekly protests across the country condemning Israeli massacres, with slogans resonating from one street to another — calling on the government to cut ties with Israel.
The Sahara dossier stands as a premier and a paramount cause for Morocco, as the North African country considers the dossier as the lens through which it looks at the world.
With Moroccan citizens calling on the government to react, it remains to be seen whether there will be any responses from the Moroccan cabinet.
