Bahrain praises Moroccan King’s support for Palestine

Diplomatic relations between Morocco and its Gulf ally, Bahrain, look set to flourish, as Bahrain praises King Mohammed VI’s support for the Palestinian cause, as reported by the Moroccan government-friendly North Africa Post and agencies on February 16th.

This supportive stance was expressed following the 6th Morocco-Bahrain Joint High Committee, held on February 16th in Laayoune, southern Morocco.

Bahrain praised King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, efforts in defending the city of Al-Quds Al Sharif and its inhabitants.

Al-Quds Al Sharif is the Arabic name for Jerusalem, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest Islamic sites that is frequently attacked by Jewish settlers.

On January 19th, it was reported that King Mohammed VI accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the so-called “Board of Peace” in Gaza.

Under the US-backed ceasefire, a multinational stabilisation force will be deployed to Gaza to oversee the reconstruction and governance of the wartorn Palestinian enclave.

Similarly, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced his acceptance of an invitation to join the Board on January 19th, despite some critics describing the initiative as a colonial endeavour due to the apparent lack of Palestinian representation.

It has been argued that by demanding the disarmament and expulsion of Hamas from governance, the Palestinians’ right to self-determination is undermined.

Although Bahrain has praised King Mohammed VI for supporting Palestine, the Moroccan public has vocally objected to the Kingdom’s ties to Israel, which were normalised in 2020 under the US-backed Abraham Accords.

On January 23rd, images of an Israeli tourist flying an Israeli flag near the Morocco-Algeria border sparked outrage, with Moroccan-based pro-Palestine organisations condemning the incident as shameful.

Despite the Moroccan public’s pro-Palestine stance, it reported on January 9th that Israel and Morocco had reached a defence partnership, under which Israel would continue providing military support to Morocco.

This is despite concerns that Israeli defence contractors, such as Elbit Systems, Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael, are complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Ties between the countries have persisted for decades, despite the Kingdom’s public condemnation of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed at least 71,000 people since October 2023.

Reportedly, King Mohammed VI’s father, Hassan II, held secret talks with then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in Rabat in the 1980s.

Furthermore, Israel has been accused of involvement in the disappearance and suspected murder of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka in 1965.

North Africa Post and agencies, Maghrebi.org