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Rabat – Islamist movement the Justice and Spirituality Movement (Al Adl Wal Ihssan) issued a press release on Friday to condemn Morocco’s decision to establish diplomatic relaions with Israel.
Describing the move as “incalculable,” the banned movement said it strongly condemns “the decision to normalize [ties] taken by the Moroccan authority with the Zionist entity that usurped the land of Palestine.”
The movement said the decision contradicts the historical and current position of the Moroccan people, who support Palestinians and their full right to return to their homes as well as their independence.
“We call on our people to reject the [Moroccan decision] and confront it and work to bring it down by all available peaceful means.”
The Islamist movement’s statement comes a few days after King Mohammed VI announced Morocco will establish diplomatic relations with Israel as soon as possible.
The decision followed a call with US President Donald Trump, who informed the monarch that his country recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Observers and activists saw the statement from Al Adl Wal Ihssan condemning normalization with Israel as an offense to Morocco’s sovereign decision, criticizing the Islamist movement’s silence during the Guerguerat development.
Some of them questioned why the Islamist movement did not issue a press release to condemn Polisario’s move after it caused a blockade of the Guerguerat border crossing point for over three weeks.
Moroccan movements, associations, and press expressed solidarity with the Royal Armed Forces, who acted on November 13 to secure the flow of goods and people in the region.
Morocco has banned the movement’s activities and prevented it from political participation due to what the government calls its antagonistic approach towards the Moroccan government.
The anti-monarchy movement claims to support democracy of the state but refuses to participate in elections, considering them undemocratic.
Sheikh Abdessalam Yassine, a former teacher and the late spiritual guide of the group, founded the movement in the 1980s.
The Islamist movement was also active during the most notable protests in Morocco, including the Arab Spring protests in 2011 and the 2016-2017 Hirak Rif protests in the Al Hoceima province in northern Morocco.
