Morocco Protests Target Plans to Upgrade Israel Ties to Full Embassies

Pro-Palestinian protests have spread across several Moroccan cities, with demonstrators calling for an end to diplomatic normalisation with Israel as Rabat deepens its ties with Tel Aviv, according to Al Jazeera. The latest mobilisation took place on September 27, at the end of three days of action called by the Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Against Normalisation. The protests followed a September 16 announcement that Morocco and Israel would elevate their diplomatic missions to full embassies and appoint ambassadors.

On September 25, the Moroccan Committee for Supporting the Nation’s Causes said it had organised 76 events in 45 cities under the slogan “Friday for Al-Aqsa and against normalisation.” Moroccan media reported gatherings in cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier, Fez, Agadir, Oujda, Tetouan, Kenitra and Sale. The 76-event figure was the committee’s own count, and the source notes there was no independent national tally of participants.

In Rabat, protesters gathered outside Parliament, while a demonstration in Marrakesh developed into a march through several main streets, according to Lakome. Moroccan media also reported restrictions and arrests in some cities. In Tangier, local authorities issued a decision banning a planned demonstration on September 27. Achkayen later reported, citing its own sources, that security forces dispersed hundreds of participants and that more than 12 people were detained. Lakome reported that authorities also prevented demonstrations in M’diq, while security forces surrounded a gathering in Agadir to prevent it from becoming a march.

The Moroccan Committee for Supporting the Nation’s Causes subsequently condemned what it described as bans, restrictions and arrests. The source notes that opposition to the relationship with Israel has remained visible on the streets, even as the government has continued to develop official ties. Seeking peace in public disagreement is a fitting frame for such moments (Romans 12:18).

Morocco restored diplomatic relations with Israel in December 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords framework, alongside Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. On September 16, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met in New York at a trilateral summit hosted by US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz. The three countries confirmed plans to elevate the Moroccan and Israeli diplomatic missions to full embassies and exchange ambassadors.

According to the source, Morocco and Israel also agreed to conclude agreements on investment protection and on avoiding double taxation, to expand direct flights, and to organise high-level reciprocal visits. Al Jazeera characterises this as going beyond the maintenance of diplomatic relations established in 2020, setting out a broader programme of institutional, economic and transport links between the two countries.

For opponents of the relationship, the embassy agreement represents another step in a policy they have rejected since 2020. Morocco has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel while continuing to publicly support the Palestinian cause and the establishment of a Palestinian state. For opponents of normalisation, however, the two positions are incompatible, particularly amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

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