Moroccan activists call on government to cut ties with Israel over attack on Jenin

As Israel is on the attack on Jenin, Moroccan anti-normalisation activists are, once again, urging Rabat to cancel its partnership with the Israeli military and to cut off all ties with Tel Aviv.

"We call again on the officials of our country (...) to cancel all forms of cooperation and normalisation with the Zionist occupation, which legitimise and encourage the occupation to kill more civilians," reads a press release by the Moroccan Initiative for Support and Victory, a movement affiliated with the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD).

On Monday, Israel launched a major aerial and ground offensive into the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, its biggest military operation in the Palestinian territory in years, in what it described as an "extensive counter-terrorism effort".

At least ten Palestinians were killed, including children, and 100 injured. The death toll is likely to rise, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Late in 2020, Rabat normalised ties with Tel Aviv vowing to maintain the Palestinian cause as a "priority in its foreign policy."

Last month, Morocco announced the postponement of the second Negev Forum summit, which includes Israel, the United States, and several Abraham accords signatories, over "uncomfortable diplomatic relations" with Tel Aviv.

An anonymous source from the Moroccan foreign ministry told Bloomberg on 21 June that the cancellation came in protest against Israeli plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Though the reported diplomatic discomfort between the two states has not affected their controversial military cooperation yet.

In 2021, Morocco and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding regarding military and security cooperation. Since then Rabat did not look back making arms sales and military training the hallmark of its public relationship with Israel.

The agreement formalised the defence ties between the two countries, allowing for smoother cooperation and arms sales between the two states.

Last month, a group of Israeli soldiers and commanders actively participated in the international "African Lion 2023" military exercise held in Morocco, marking the first time the IDF took an active part in the African Lion.

On 9 June, the Israeli envoy to Morocco, Shai Cohen, announced the Israeli company Elbit's plan to open new sites in Morocco for arms manufacturing.

Elbit has a tightly-knit relationship with the Israeli security apparatus, for whom it provides services and develops extensive technology, equipment, and platforms deployed in varying fields.

It is primarily known for its military drones, namely the Hermes, which have been used repeatedly in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Cohen's announcement triggered wide opposition among anti-normalisation movements in the North African Kingdom with some threatening to 'block' the Elbit systems sites if they opened. 

Morocco's ties with Elbit go back to 2022 when the arms company secured a US$70 million contract to supply Morocco's Royal Armed Forces with an Alinet Electronic Warfare Solutions system.

"We call on the Moroccan people to help us put pressure on the Moroccan state to cancel the Elbit plan to manufacture drones in Morocco, including the Hermes 450 drones that were used in the heinous assassination that targeted three Palestinians near Al-Jalama, north of Jenin," a spokesperson from BDS Maroc told The New Arab.

Rabat has yet to comment on the Elbit controversy.