Morocco Israel Embassy Protests Follow Rabat's Decision to Upgrade Ties With Israel
Protests took place across Morocco over a three-day campaign after Rabat agreed with Israel to upgrade liaison offices to embassies. Here is what was announced on 16 September, who organised the demonstrations and what comes next.
Morocco Israel embassy protests spread across the country over the weekend, after Rabat and Israel agreed to upgrade their liaison offices to full embassies and to exchange ambassadors. The Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Opposing Normalisation led a three-day campaign that ended on Sunday 27 September, and it announced the mobilisation on 17 September.
What was announced
On 16 September, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz met in New York. According to The Media Line, they announced that the two countries would elevate their liaison offices to embassies and appoint ambassadors. They also agreed to conclude investment-protection and double-taxation agreements by the end of the year.
Who protested and where
A separate coalition, the Moroccan Commission for Supporting the Nation's Causes, said it organised 76 events in 45 cities on Friday. In Rabat, demonstrators gathered outside Parliament, while protesters in Marrakech chanted against an ambassador and an embassy. The Media Line reported no serious disturbances, while Israel National News said police detained several people in Tangier.
The background: the 2020 agreement
The upgrade builds on the 2020 agreement under which Morocco restored formal relations with Israel and the United States recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Opponents argue that normalisation undermines the long-standing Arab position linking full relations with Israel to a Palestinian state.
Timing and politics
The protests came days after the 23 September legislative elections. A weekly analysis on Substack described the demonstrations as taking place alongside the vote, in which turnout was the lowest in nearly two decades.
What happens next
Rabat is moving forward with the exchange of ambassadors and with economic agreements. Watch for the announcement of who will be named ambassador, for further protest calls from the Front, and for the positions of the parties that will form the next government.
Sources
- https://www.newarab.com/news/morocco-protests-erupt-over-deepening-ties-israel
- https://themedialine.org/top-stories/morocco-israel-ties-deepen-as-protesters-demand-no-ambassador-no-embassy/
- https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/433822
- https://nourredine.substack.com/p/weekly-update-protests-and-elections
