Rabat – Abdelilah Benkirane, the Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), has once again criticized the former government led by his party colleague Saad Eddine El Othmani for signing the Abraham Accords in 2020, through which Morocco re-established diplomatic ties with Israel.
Benkirane made his remarks during a party meeting on Saturday in Rabat, noting that he is still waiting for El Othmani to explain the circumstances that led him to sign the “normalization agreement with Israel.”
Morocco re-established relations with Israel in December 2020, when El Othmani was serving as a Head of Government.
Conveying PJD’s rejection of the re-establishment of ties with Israel, Benkirane said that the decision did not align with the party’s position.
“But we understood his position. Personally, I am still waiting for him to explain to me under what circumstances he signed it,” Benkirane said.
Benkirane, who also served as a head of government, reiterated that Morocco’s solidarity campaign for Palestinians amid Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) massacres in Gaza continues to be inadequate.
He went on to describe the IOF and Israel as nothing “more than just hyenas.”
Benkirane also slammed what he deemed as pro-Israeli activists, describing some of the incidents that recently happened as “shameful.”
“A group of Moroccan youth went to Israel to support the occupying army,” Benkirane added.
“There are some people that say ‘we are all Israelis,’ while others accuse Hamas of committing crimes against humanity before apologizing in one way or another,” he said.
He also cited the recent controversy in which a Moroccan university dean refused to hand a student a graduation award during a ceremony due to wearing a keffiyeh.
For Benkirane, what has been happening is unacceptable to Moroccans.
“Is it infiltration or what?” he said, adding that he is saying this while he is “ready to bear responsibility for it no matter what happens.”
Benkirane has been outspoken against the massacres committed by the IOF in Gaza. He has been aso against the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with israel.
The PJD has long advocated for the end of diplomatic ties with Morocco, emphasizing solidarity with Palestinians in the face of the ongoing merciless campaign targeting civilians since October 7.
Within this context, in June, Benkirane described Morocco’s campaign of solidarity with Palestinians as lacking in strength and influence.
“The solidarity of Moroccans with Gaza expressed through protests and sit-ins remains weak and without political impact,” he said.
