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Doha – Delegations from several countries walked out in protest during Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev’s speech at the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
According to Israeli media that shared footage from the conference, representatives from Palestine, Turkey, Jordan, and Ireland left the conference hall during Regev’s address.
However, delegates from Gulf states, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, remained in attendance throughout her speech.
Israeli outlets characterized the incident as a “dramatic demonstration” that occurred despite the conference proceeding as planned.
Even before her Morocco visit, Regev faced criticism in Israel over the trip’s expenses. Israeli newspaper Globes reported that Regev’s ministry had requested funding for accommodation at the Four Seasons hotel, with suites costing €1,200-3,700 nightly.
The total cost of the minister’s trip with her aides was reported to exceed half a million shekels ($140,000). Regev’s office responded, claiming that Morocco was covering the hospitality package, with different hotels chosen due to security concerns.
The protest came after unsuccessful attempts by pro-Palestinian groups to prevent Regev’s participation in the conference altogether.
A group of Moroccan activists affiliated with the Action Group for Palestine filed a complaint with the court of appeal in Rabat, seeking to block her entry into Morocco.
The activists stated in their press release that they were filing the legal complaint “against the Zionist minister, terrorist Regev” based on “accusations related to her criminal past and her responsibility in the current government for committing war crimes and genocide.”
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They emphasized that “her presence on Moroccan soil constitutes a provocation to the feelings of the Moroccan people” and called on “judicial authorities to take necessary legal action against her.”
The activists also issued “a call to media men and women” to cover the case.
But these efforts ultimately failed to produce the desired outcome. The Moroccan court rejected the petition, allowing Regev’s visit to proceed.
Converging reports from Israel indicated that pro-Palestinian groups in Morocco have continued their attempts to seek the Israeli minister’s arrest even after her arrival in the country.
Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu notably walked out during Regev’s speech, returning only after she concluded, according to Türkiye Today.
Earlier in the conference, Uraloglu had delivered his own address focusing on Turkey’s road safety achievements, including the construction of 25,000 kilometers of divided highways and an 80% reduction in traffic fatalities over the past 22 years.
This marks Regev’s second visit to Morocco during her current term as Transport Minister and her ninth international work trip in the past two years.
The conference, running from February 18-20, brings together transport ministers and road safety experts from around the world under the theme “Commit to Life.”
The three-day summit, jointly organized by the Moroccan government and the World Health Organization, aims to accelerate progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ target of halving global road deaths by 2030.
As the first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety to be held in Africa, the event focuses particularly on addressing road safety challenges across the continent.
Despite the diplomatic tensions surrounding Regev’s participation, the conference has continued as scheduled.
Participants have notably discussed road safety governance, emerging mobility trends, financing, and data collection strategies to address the global crisis of road traffic injuries, which claim approximately 1.2 million lives annually.
