Several thousand Moroccans demonstrated on July 7 in Tangier in support of the Palestinian cause and against normalization with Israel.
“Gaza is not alone,” chanted the demonstrators, carrying many Palestinian flags, as they marched through the main streets of the city of Tangier at the call of the Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine and Against Normalization, which brings together left-wing parties and Islamist movements.
Growing opposition to normalization
The organizers chose Tangier to protest the “stopover” in early June of a new Israeli Navy landing ship at the city’s port while sailing from the United States to Israel, as reported by an Israeli media outlet on June 19, later relayed by local media. This information has not been confirmed by Moroccan authorities.
In the process, Rabat announced on June 24 the deployment by land of 40 tons of medical products for the population of Gaza.
In Tangier, protesters also demanded “the end of normalization ” with Israel, sealed in December 2020 in exchange for US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, several large-scale demonstrations have taken place in Morocco to demand an abrogation of normalization, while opposition to this process had previously been limited.
The kingdom has officially called for “an immediate, comprehensive and lasting end to the Israeli war on Gaza,” without calling into question normalization with Israel.
