Morocco signs US-backed Gaza security plan
US-Moroccan ties look set to deepen as Morocco signs a US-backed Gaza security pact, according to The New Arab via Moroccan state propaganda outlet Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) on July 16th.
Morocco signed an agreement to join the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza during a July 15th meeting in Rabat between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s special envoy for Gaza.
According to this framework, Morocco will provide support in the technical and operational aspects of any eventual deployment, including senior military officers, gendarmerie and police personnel, and a planned military field hospital for Gaza.
Under the US-brokered Board of Peace, an ISF would be deployed to Gaza to oversee the reconstruction and governance of the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
This is despite concerns over the Board’s apparent lack of Palestinian representation, which has led some critics to label the Board as a colonial endeavour.
Morocco, a Board signatory and US ally, signed the ISF agreement despite the Palestinians’ rejection of the deployment.
ISF troops were supposed to be deployed to Gaza in early 2026 to fill the security vacuum left by Israeli forces withdrawing in accordance with the US-backed ceasefire plan.
However, Israeli forces have failed to withdraw from Gaza and have increased the areas under Israeli control by expanding the so-called “Yellow Line.”
Following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February, the Board halted talks, and several nations suspended their participation in the planned ISF deployment.
Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Gaza and ongoing strikes against Lebanon have caused US-Israeli ties to fracture in recent months, with an amendment to halt US military aid to Israel receiving bipartisan support.
However, US-Moroccan ties have flourished, particularly since 2020, when Morocco signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords, which aimed to normalise relations between Arab nations and Israel.
Furthermore, 2020 was also the year that the US formally expressed support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara.
Despite growing tensions between the US and Israel, Moroccan-Israeli ties have continued to deepen in areas including defence cooperation and Jewish heritage projects.
Maghrebi attempted to contact the Board of Peace for comment on Morocco’s support for the ISF, but was unable to find contact details at the time of publication.
The New Arab via MAP, Maghrebi.org
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