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Rabat – Abdelilah Benkirane, General Secretary of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) and former Head of Government, has called on Arab kings, presidents, and princes to take a stronger stance against Israel.
He made his remarks during a PJD meeting on Saturday, where he called on Arab leaders to take a stronger stance during the Qatar summit.
The Qatar summit, which will take place on Monday, seeks to discuss Israel’s September 9 attack on Doha.
Benkirane warned that Israel’s actions not only endanger citizens but also threaten the stability of Arab thrones.
Beyond condemnation, Arab leaders should take concrete measures like “at least cutting ties with Israel,” Benkirane said.
“We didn’t ask our Arab presidents, our kings, our princes to declare war on Israel… At the very least, these people should cut diplomatic relations. They haven’t even cut diplomatic ties; they just recall ambassadors and fire protests,” Benkirane said.
Benkirane hopes that the ongoing summit in Qatar should serve as a breaking point, where Arab leaders take concrete measures to “show you are not complicit with that state, with that gang called Israel.”
He emphasized that Israel’s threat now extends to all Arab countries.
“There is no country now that can claim it is safe from Israel,” Benkirane added, urging Arab leaders to protect themselves and their citizens.
“First, and above all, we as citizens are under threat. But you are threatened in your thrones too – I tell you this plainly,” Benkirane said, adding that people will look for another solution if they feel that their rulers are no longer able to protect them.
This is not the first time Benkirane has made similar strongly-worded statements, urging the government to cut relations with Israel.
The former head of government emphasized that the agreements that bind between Rabat and Tel Aviv no longer have any “responsible, logical or moral justification.”
In September 2024, he called on the government to reconsider its agreements with Israel.
“Even if people remain silent, they feel that these bullets have pierced their bodies and killed their brothers,” Benkirane said.
Benkirane served as the head of government from November 2011 to April 2017, when the PJD won the majority of votes during government elections.
