After Gaza hospital strike, Moroccans vow to stay at streets until Israeli office gone

Hundreds of people in Morocco took to the streets late on Tuesday, 17 October, after reportedly an Israeli strike killed at least 500 people in a hospital in Gaza. The protesters are vowing not to leave until the Israeli liaison office in Rabat is gone. 

"We will not leave the streets until they close the Israeli liaison office in Rabat," said a "Moroccan Group Against Normalisation" member during the sit-in in the capital.

At 9 p.m., hundreds appeared before the Moroccan parliament, holding Palestinian flags and demanding that authorities revoke the normalisation deal with Israel. This demand has been echoing in the Moroccan streets for the past three years but has become louder and firmer since the start of the "Al-Aqsa flood" on 7 October. 

Angry crowds also swamped the streets of Casablanca, Tangier, Tetouan and Beni Mellal as people heard the horrible news of what happened at Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. 

More showed up in big numbers after the "Moroccan Group for Palestine" shared a call for protest on Facebook. 

بداية التجمع أمام البرلمان بالرباط، إدانة لجريمة الإبادة لمستشفى بغزة.
Rabat now! pic.twitter.com/hIwf8hguXA

— Saida El Kamel (@SaidaElKamel) October 17, 2023

For its part, the "Moroccan Front Against Normalisation", another local pro-Palestine organisation, shared a week-long schedule of protests and demonstrations around the North African kingdom. "Our main goal now is to pressure the state to kick off the Israeli representative and close the Tel Aviv liaison office in Rabat," a spokesperson of the front told The New Arab.

In December 2020, Morocco normalised ties with Israel under the US auspices. Since then, the two states have maintained strong ties, with Israeli officials frequently visiting the kingdom to sign tens of agreements and memorandum of understanding on trade and arms deals.

Eight months later, Israel inaugurated its temporary liaison office in Rabat and appointed David Gorion as its representative in the North African Kingdom. 

Last August, David Govrin was recalled to Israel after accusations of sexual harassment and mismanagement of his duties.

Tel Aviv said they opened an investigation into the allegations against Govrin. Meanwhile, Rabat did not comment on the scandal. Govrin returned to his duties in Rabat earlier this year amid the absence of the alleged investigation's results.

Under the reign of late King Hassan II, Rabat normalised ties with Tel Aviv following the Oslo peace agreement in 1993. However, in 2000, Mohammed VI, the newly appointed king, cut off relations with Israel amid the second uprising (Intifada).

Moroccan activists are determined to repeat history and push the state, once again, to revoke the normalisation with Israel.

Thousands of protesters headed to the US embassy in Casablanca on Wednesday evening to protest Israel's genocide. Security has doubled around the building in preparation for the demonstration.

From Tunis to Ankara, hundreds took to the streets Tuesday to condemn the Israeli war on Gaza and the "Western support for Tel Aviv crimes."