Morocco to cut normalisation with Israel after ICJ ruling?
Morocco seems to be taking full advantage of the International Justice Court’s ruling on Israel’s genocide case on the attack on the Gaza Strip – giving Rabat the potential to cut normalisation ties with Israel, claims The New Arab and Agencies.
An anonymous source from Rabat’s Foreign Ministry “Welcomed the decision of the ICJ (International Justice court) regarding immediate provisional measures that Israel must take to ensure the protection of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and to guarantee humanitarian aid in a sufficient and unimpeded manner” On the 27th of January.
The ICJ said it was ‘Plausible’ that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza as quoted by the news agency Maghreb Arab Press (MAP). This is the closest that Rabat has come to an official statement against Israel’s attack on Gaza since the 7th of October.
On the 28th of January, BDS Maroc, a growing pro-Palestine boycott group in the North African Kingdom commented on Morocco’s opportunity to revoke normalisation with Israel effective immediately in light of the ICJ ruling. They stated, “it’s an opportunity to revoke all agreements with the Zionist entity, namely the military ones”.
READ: African leaders condemn Israel for Gaza war
In late 2020, Rabat and Tel Aviv normalised ties and since then, heavily focused on Military cooperation despite social opposition.
In November 2021, then-defence minister, Benny Gantz signed a memorandum of understanding with his Moroccan counterpart, the first such agreement between Israel and a Middle East and North African state.
Another first for Israel came in June 2023 when the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) sent a delegation of troops in a major US-led military drill held in Morocco. During July 2023, IDF appointed a first military attaché to Morocco.
According to the head of the Israeli Liaison Office in Morocco, the Israeli defence contractor, Elbit systems is set to open two manufacturing sites in the North African country.
Since the attack on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Rabat-based Israeli diplomats flew back to Tel Aviv “for security reasons” and have not discussed further project.
Being a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Rabat participated in the OIC’s statement urging the international community “to shoulder its responsibilities and provide protection for the Palestinian people” condemning violence on both sides.
The opposition Party of Socialism and Progress (PPS) urged for “holding accountable the Zionist leaders before national courts” following the ICJ’s ruling.
Since early 2000, local activists opposing normalisation with Israel have submitted multiple complaints in Moroccan courts accusing Israeli leaders of Moroccan origin. Israeli leaders such as Amir Peretz, the former Israeli Minister of Defence, and General Samy Tordjman, the former chief of the Israeli war in Gaza in 2014, have been condemned with charges of genocide.
One of the three political parties in the Moroccan coalition government, the Al-Istiqlal party, called on Moroccan King Mohammed VI to strip Israeli-Moroccans of their North African citizenship over “their contribution to war crimes” in December 2023.
READ: Govt party calls for Moroccan-Israelis to be stripped of citizenship
While there is no official data on Israelis who hold Moroccan citizenship, Jews of Moroccan ancestry make up around 1 million of Israels total 9.1 million population in 2020.
The New Arab plus Agencies.
