BTN News: Thousands of people took to the streets of Rabat on Saturday to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people, condemn the normalization of relations with Israel, and honor the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who died this week in Iran. The protest, organized by the National Action Group for Palestine, saw demonstrators marching towards the Parliament, waving Palestinian flags and carrying portraits of Haniyeh. Their chants of “The people want the end of normalization!” resonated through the streets, with some participants even burning an Israeli flag.
Hamas had called for a “day of rage” on Friday, coinciding with the burial of its political leader in Qatar, who was killed in an attack in Iran on Wednesday, an act attributed to Israel, though it has not claimed responsibility. The demonstration in Rabat reflects the deep-seated anger and frustration among many Moroccans regarding the normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel, a move that Morocco, along with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, formalized in December 2020 as part of the U.S.-backed Abraham Accords.
For many, the death of Haniyeh symbolizes the broader struggle of the Palestinian people. “Ismail Haniyeh was a leader of Palestine, a symbol that drives us to protest,” said Halima Hilali, a 64-year-old demonstrator. She added, “The war in Gaza is a disgrace to humanity, which is doing nothing.”
Another protester, Nabil Naseri, 42, echoed these sentiments, calling for an end to diplomatic relations with Israel. “We cannot have relations with a group of criminals,” he asserted.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which erupted on October 7 following an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil, has fueled numerous large-scale protests in Morocco. Demonstrators have been demanding the revocation of the normalization agreement with Israel. However, Morocco’s official stance has been to call for “an immediate, comprehensive, and lasting end to the Israeli war in Gaza” without explicitly renouncing its diplomatic ties with Israel.
These protests underscore a significant divide between the Moroccan government’s policies and the sentiments of many of its citizens. The participants in Saturday’s demonstration made it clear that they stand firmly with the Palestinian cause and against any form of normalization with Israel. Their voices add to the global chorus demanding justice and peace for Gaza, a call that continues to resonate amidst the ongoing turmoil in the region.
