Duro tono de la Casa Real de Marruecos contra el Partido de la Justicia y el Desarrollo
Morocco's Royal Court has raised the tone against the Justice and Development Party (PJD) due to the message of opposition against Israel that the Islamist political group, now out of the Moroccan government, launched regarding the recent Israeli incursions in the West Bank. The Alawite monarchy has rejected this initiative by the opposition party as an unacceptable interference in the Kingdom's foreign policy that may have sought political or electoral gain for the party.
The Moroccan Royal Cabinet issued a statement disavowing the PJD's criticism of Israeli military activities in the West Bank: "First of all: Morocco's position on the Palestinian question is irreversible, and constitutes one of the priorities of the foreign policy of His Majesty the King, Amir Al-Mouminine and chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, which places it on the same level as the territorial integrity of the Kingdom. This is Morocco's consistent position of principle, which cannot be subjected to political bidding and narrow electoral campaigns.
Second: the Kingdom's foreign policy is the prerogative of His Majesty the King, God help him, by virtue of the Constitution, which the Sovereign exercises in accordance with national constants and the supreme interests of the country, among which the question of territorial integrity comes first and foremost.
Third: the Kingdom's international relations cannot be blackmailed by anyone for any reason, especially in this complex global context. The instrumentalisation of the Kingdom's foreign policy for a domestic partisan agenda is therefore a dangerous and unacceptable precedent.
Fourth, the resumption of relations between Morocco and Israel took place in circumstances and in a context that everyone is familiar with. It is framed by the Royal Cabinet communiqué of 10 December 2020 and the one issued on the same day following the telephone communication between His Majesty the King and the Palestinian President, as well as by the Tripartite Declaration of 22 December 2020, signed before the Sovereign. The living forces of the nation, the political parties, as well as certain personalities and associations working on the Palestinian issue, were informed of this decision, for which they expressed their support and commitment".
The PJD's stance, adopted in certain populist terms because of its message of support for the Palestinian cause, was a major attack on the Alawite kingdom's foreign policy towards Israel. The North African country established diplomatic relations with the Israeli state under US mediation in 2020 in the wake of the famous Abraham Accords signed in September of that year between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under the auspices of the US administration of Donald Trump at the time. The Abraham Accords represent a diplomatic milestone that seeks the pacification and development of the Middle East region thanks to new bridges built between various Arab countries and Israel, and also pursues the challenge of confronting common enemies that seek to destabilise the region, as is the case of the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to various analysts.
Abdelilah Benkirane, leader of the PJD, has been singled out in this case for using populism to win support in certain sectors and reverse the bad political trend of the Islamist party, which lost the government in the last general elections to the party led by the current head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, who is more in tune with the political line set by King Mohammed VI, focused on a greater deployment of associations and diplomacy abroad and with a marked line of social and economic development of the North African country, something that is being achieved in the light of the latest national developments in these areas.
The Moroccan Royal Court's communiqué pointed out that the position adopted by the PJD General Secretariat regarding relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Israel includes irresponsible excesses and serious fallacies, stressing that the exploitation of the Kingdom's foreign policy for an internal partisan agenda sets a dangerous and unacceptable precedent. This does not serve as an excuse, nor to use this kind of argument to serve partisan interests at a time of crisis for the political formation that led it to lose power after two consecutive terms at the helm of Morocco's executive.
The royal communiqué emphasised that the Palestinian issue is very important for Morocco and that the country maintains its firm principles. For the North African country, the Palestinian question is irreversible and is one of the priorities of King Mohammed VI's foreign policy, which places it on a par with the question of the Kingdom's territorial integrity.
The statement issued by the Moroccan Royal Court stressed that "the Kingdom's international relations cannot be blackmailed by anyone and for any consideration, especially in these complex international circumstances".
The Royal Court made it clear that all sectors, political parties and entities associated with the Palestinian cause were duly informed of the contacts with Israel and "expressed their involvement and commitment" to the initiative.
The Justice and Development Party issued a statement criticising "the recent positions of Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, in which he seems to be defending the Zionist entity in some African and European meetings, at a time when the Israeli occupation continues". In reference to the latest Israeli military incursions in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, where frequent clashes take place. A message that provoked strong reprobation from the Moroccan Royal Court. This statement by the PJD showed a certain opportunism and double standards, since the PJD had ratified the agreement to normalise relations with Israel at the time.
Finally, in the face of the controversy, Abdelilah Benkirane issued a directive to his party members urging them "not to comment in any way on the communiqué and not to make any statement on the matter until the party members meet to discuss the matter", according to Al-Arab media. This decision may now be aimed at avoiding a new confrontation with the Moroccan Royal Court.
