A major mobilization took place this Sunday in Rabat, marking the first anniversary of the conflict in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Moroccan capital to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and demand an end to diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel.
The demonstrators, gathered near Parliament, made their voices heard through slogans like “Resistance continues” and “No to normalization”. Signs rejecting recognition of Israel were also visible in the crowd.
Khadija Mokhtari, a 56-year-old retired participant, stressed the importance of the Palestinian cause for Moroccans, denouncing what she describes as “genocide” in Gaza. The demonstration, organized by the National Action Group for Palestine, comes on the eve of the anniversary of the Hamas attack that sparked the current conflict. Among the Palestinian and Lebanese flags, portraits of leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah were seen, notably those of Ismaïl Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah, recently eliminated in strikes attributed to Israel. Noufissa Souad, an x-ray technician from Khemisset, expressed concern about the fate of the Palestinian people and called on Arab and Muslim leaders to act. She also advocated for the severance of relations with Israel. These large-scale demonstrations, which have increased since the start of the conflict, represent a notable change in Moroccan public opinion towards normalization with Israel. Despite this popular pressure, the Moroccan government maintains its official position, calling for an immediate and lasting end to the conflict in Gaza, without calling into question its relations with Israel.
