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The War in Gaza Harms Israeli–Moroccan Normalization
INSS researcher Dr. @link_morr writes:
A recent @ArabBarometer report, published last month, reveals troubling findings from an Israeli perspective. The latest opinion poll indicates a sharp decline in popular support for normalization between Israel and Arab states, including Morocco, dropping from 31% in 2022 to only 13%. This marks a significant shift in Morocco, which previously had high levels of support for normalization compared to other Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan.
This decline is attributed to how the Arab world, including Morocco, views the ongoing war in Gaza. According to the poll’s findings, Moroccans commonly describe the events in Gaza as a massacre (26%), a war (24%), a genocide (14%), or a mass killing (14%). Since October, almost weekly protests have been held in Morocco in support of the Palestinians, commonly calling for severing of ties between Israel and Morocco.
This trend exacerbates the tension between Morocco’s official policy of maintaining ties with Israel, albeit at a low profile, and the increasing public and political opposition. On the one hand, the Kingdom has allowed public demonstrations in support of the Palestinians, an issue that has gained significant support in Morocco and in the Arab world in general. Over the years, the Royal Palace has consistently reiterated its support for the Palestinians to establish a state within the 1967 borders, alongside Israel. These demonstrations also help deflect attention from pressing domestic issues such as the cost of living. On the other hand, the Kingdom has shown little tolerance for open criticism of its official policies of continuing its ties with Israel, and at least two people have been arrested in recent months for criticizing its policies.
While key aspects of Israeli–Moroccan relations remain unaffected by the war in Gaza—bilateral trade continues, and security ties remain intact—other important aspects have been significantly harmed, most notably overt diplomatic ties, official visits, and tourism. This pattern of fluctuating relations during periods of escalation in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is not new. Israel would do well to remember that Morocco’s support for the Palestinians may extend beyond lip service. During the Second Intifada, Morocco went as far as severing relations with Israel due to the conflict’s escalation, and it took nearly twenty years to renew them.
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