Doha – The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas will not attend the 9th congress of Morocco’s Justice and Development Party (PJD) this weekend, despite being previously announced as invited guests. The Islamist party’s gathering is scheduled for April 26-27 in Bouznika.
Driss El Azami El Idrissi, president of the congress’s preparatory committee, confirmed the absence on Friday through the party’s official website.
“The participation of delegations from Palestine, Jordan, and Libya has not been possible,” El Azami stated, without elaborating on specific reasons for these cancellations.
The absence follows just days after PJD Secretary-General Abdelilah Benkirane vigorously defended the party’s decision to invite Hamas representatives, calling it “a great honor.”
He also lashed out at critics who opposed the faction’s participation, declaring that those demanding the group’s exclusion “should be taken to court” and describing such calls as “a great display of shamelessness.”
According to sources within the party, some officials had expressed reservations about Hamas’s attendance due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, where fighting with Israel has continued for over 18 months.
In confirming foreign attendees, El Azami noted that delegations from Tunisia and Mauritania have already arrived in Morocco, with representatives from Senegal and Turkey also expected to participate in the congress.
Syrian artist Mohammed Abu Ratib has likewise arrived in Rabat to perform at the opening ceremony.
Jordan is notably missing from the gathering as well, a turn that comes just a day after Jordanian authorities announced a ban on the Muslim Brotherhood organization, with which Hamas is affiliated. Jordan has accused the Brotherhood of “plotting attacks against Jordanian security forces.”
‘Normalization is a mistake’
Morocco reestablished its relations with Israel in 2020, viewing the move as a renewal rather than a normalization and distancing itself from the Abraham Accords framework.
However, while maintaining these diplomatic ties, Morocco has also sought to affirm its support for Palestinian rights.
The Accords were signed during the PJD’s leadership of government, with then-Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani formalizing the agreement.
This decision precipitated the party’s electoral collapse in 2021, when it lost over 100 parliamentary seats.
Since stepping down from government, the PJD has worked to distance itself from the normalization agreement. Benkirane, who returned to lead the party after the electoral defeat, has called the normalization “a mistake” and urged El Othmani to apologize to Moroccans.
Political analysts suggest the party’s initial invitation to Hamas representatives was part of a strategy to reconnect with its base ahead of next year’s legislative elections.
The PJD has attempted to burnish its pro-Palestine credentials after facing harsh criticism from supporters who viewed the normalization deal as betrayal of the Palestinian cause.
Morocco officially recognizes the Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Abbas recently made headlines for harshly criticizing Hamas, demanding they release Israeli hostages held since October 2023.
“Sons of dogs, return the hostages. Let’s end this,” Abbas stated on Wednesday during a meeting of the 32nd session of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council in Ramallah.
Hamas has been regularly invited to PJD congresses in the past. In a bid to save face, Othmani hosted Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Rabat in 2021, just months after Morocco reestablished ties with Israel.
Some party officials have suggested an alternative plan involving a remote appearance by a Hamas leader such as Khaled Meshaal or Osama Hamdan via videoconference during the opening session.
The congress notably excluded Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch from its invitation list. El Azami had previously explained this decision saying: “It is not logical that we criticize him for the ‘faraqchiya’ and conflicts of interest, then invite him to our congress.”
Read also: Benkirane: ‘No Moral Justification’ for Morocco’s Ties with Israel Amid Gaza Genocide
