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Rabat — Prince Moulay Hicham, the cousin of King Mohammed VI, has delivered his remarks and opinion on Morocco’s ties with Israel in a new interview with Spanish outlet El Confidencial.
In the interview published on Tuesday, Moulay Hicham suggested that Morocco’s alliance with Israel has developed deep roots over the years, acknowledging that it is hard to break these ties.
The prince, however, suggested that if the government should break ties with Israel, it should break them with Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime and not with the Israeli people.
Recalling Morocco’s decision to re-establish ties with Israel, as well as the US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, Moulay Hicham said that the North African country’s move against Netanyahu should come “without damaging our deep ties with the Israeli people.”
“To defend a future of tolerance and coexistence with Israelis, but not with Netanyahu. That moment will come, and this is the great shift Morocco must make: its alliance is not with Israel, it is with Israelis,” he reiterated.
However, for the prince, he does not in fact agree that ties with Israel should be broken as this serves as the “last resort” under any international standard.
Moulay Hicham said Israeli civil society should not be boycotted, but should be rather drawn in, convinced, and turned into an ally.
“Morocco is in a unique position to do this, because we have a history of coexistence. We must take advantage of it, perpetuate that tradition, but in an intelligent way,” he argued.
He advocated for a direct dialogue with the Israeli people through intense contacts.
This is not the first time Moulay Hicham commented on ties between Morocco and Israel.
In December 2024, he made similar remarks in an interview with France’s program “Tête à Tête.”
In the interview, he said ties between Morocco and Israel are problematic as the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) are waging a genocidal war on Gaza.
“It’s a problem because I think there’s a differentiation between embracing our Jewish citizens of Moroccan heritage because of their belonging to our country and having a general posture of tolerance towards Judaism,” Moulay Hicham stated during the interview.
“It’s another thing to support, or give legitimacy to a specific government that is on the far right and that is mistreating Palestinians in every sense of the word,” Moulay Hicham added.
The prince’s remarks come as Morocco has been facing protests, with anti-normalization activists urging the government to cut ties with Israel.
Morocco re-established relations with Israel in December 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. During the same day, the US announced its decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
Since then, NGOs, political parties, and everyday citizens have been launching campaigns to urge the government to cut ties with Israel.
In January, the government officially commented on the appeals, suggesting that the North African country will examine a petition that demands the end of diplomatic ties with Israel.
Government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas said that Morocco is prepared to study a petition that a group of activists launched to end ties with Israel.
However, no clarifications or follow-ups have been provided by the government since Baitas’ latest remarks.
Morocco, however, has been strongly condemning Israeli aggressions, targeting civilians across Gaza in a genocide that has killed over 64,000 Palestinians.
The IOF’s assaults are not limited to Palestine alone, as Israel has targeted other countries’ sovereignties more than once since October 2023, including Qatar.
On Tuesday, Israel attacked Doha, claiming that it targeted Hamas leaders. Morocco strongly condemned the Israeli attack, describing it as heinous, and expressed full solidarity with Doha.
