Moroccan palace asks Islamist party to stop criticizing ties with Israel

Pushing back against claims Rabat ignoring plight of Palestinians, royal palace says foreign policy is a prerogative of King Mohammed VI

Reuters|
Morocco's royal palace on Monday asked the largest Islamist party, the PJD, to stop taking aim at the country's ties with Israel after the party rebuked the foreign minister for defending Israel at the expense of Palestinians.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • Renewed violence between Israelis and Palestinians poses a challenge to Arab countries that have normalized ties with Israel.
    2 View gallery
    King Mohammed VI of Morocco
    King Mohammed VI of Morocco
    King Mohammed VI of Morocco
    (Photo by Carlos R. Alvarez/WireImage)
    Morocco resumed diplomatic ties with Israel in late 2020 after a deal brokered by the Trump administration that also included Washington's recognition of Rabat's sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory where the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks to establish its own state.
    "The general secretariat condemns the recent stand by the foreign minister in which he appears to be defending the zionist entity... at a time the Israeli occupation continues its criminal aggression against our Palestinian brothers," the PJD said in a statement last week.
    The palace said that foreign policy was a prerogative of the King and it would not be "subject to blackmail".
    2 View gallery
    פעילות כוחות צה"ל
    פעילות כוחות צה"ל
    IDF special forces operating in Jenin
    (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
    Since the resumption of ties, Morocco and Israel have signed cooperation agreements, including a defense pact.
    Morocco's official position regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been to support the two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
    Comments
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""