Rabat – Activists gathered outside Parliament in Rabat on Tuesday to demand the closure of Israel’s liaison office in Morocco, condemn the country’s normalization with Israel, and call for the protection of Palestinian prisoners.
The protest took place as part of a national campaign by the Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Against Normalization from September 7 to 13 under the slogan, “Our prisoners, you are not alone… the free people of the world are with you.”
The demonstrators called for international pressure to protect Palestinian prisoners and opposed what they described as Israeli efforts to legalize the execution of Palestinian detainees.
They also protested the relocation of Israel’s liaison office to Avenue Mehdi Ben Barka in Rabat, arguing that the move disrespects the memory of the prominent Moroccan opposition figure.
Mehdi Ben Barka was one of Morocco’s leading left-wing politicians and anti-colonial activists. A key figure in the country’s nationalist movement, he was involved in international Third World and anti-colonial activism.
Ben Barka was abducted in Paris in October 1965 and disappeared. His fate remains unresolved, making his name one of the most sensitive symbols of Morocco’s political history.
For anti-normalization activists, the location of the Israeli office on a street named after Ben Barka has particular symbolic importance. They argue that associating an Israeli diplomatic mission with his name is incompatible with the legacy of a figure they regard as a symbol of resistance and political struggle.
The protest also renewed calls for Morocco to reverse its decision to restore diplomatic relations with Israel.
Morocco and Israel re-established ties in December 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The move was accompanied by Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
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Since then, Rabat and Tel Aviv have expanded cooperation in areas including trade, tourism, security, defense, and technology.
But normalization has faced strong opposition from sections of Moroccan society, particularly since the outbreak of the genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023.
Pro-Palestinian groups have organized repeated demonstrations across Morocco, with protesters calling for an end to diplomatic and economic ties with Israel and accusing the government of failing to reflect public opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The issue of Palestinian prisoners has added another dimension to the campaign.
The Moroccan Front says around 9,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including 470 children and 92 women, while 3,198 are under administrative detention.
The group has accused Israeli authorities of torture, sexual abuse, starvation, inadequate medical care, and other violations. It has also warned against measures that could facilitate the execution of Palestinian prisoners.
The Front is calling on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to intervene, protect Palestinian detainees, and pursue accountability for alleged abuses.
