Moroccans set to protest Israeli army chief's visit to Rabat

Hundreds of Moroccan pro-Palestine activists aim to take to the streets Monday evening in protest of the visit of Israeli army chief Aviv Kochavi to Rabat.

On Saturday, Israel's i24NEWS announced that Kochavi's visit to the Moroccan kingdom will last for three days.

Following the announcement on Monday, the National Action Group for Palestine, a Moroccan anti-Zionist movement, called for a popular sit-in against the visit of "the head of terrorism, chief of staff of the Zionist army". 

The group also strongly condemned hosting the "Zionist war criminal whose hands are dripping with the blood of thousands of Palestinian and Moroccan children".

Isreal's offence on the besieged Gaza Strip last year killed at least four Moroccan children.

The anti-Zionist movement stressed "the importance of the popular collective struggle to overthrow normalisation and the expulsion of the Zionist Liaison Office in Rabat."

Late in 2020, Rabat normalised ties with Tel Aviv in a deal brokered by the US. In return, the US agreed to recognise Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Morocco touted the deal as a "bold diplomatic move" to gain international recognition of Rabat's "historical right" over the territory. 

The pro-independence Polisario movement, backed by Algeria, contested Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara for decades.

Lately, the Moroccan street has witnessed a range of sit-ins in the big cities, mainly against the economic hardship and normalisation.

David Govrin, the Head of the Israeli Liaison Office in Morocco, said in a recent interview that normalisation between Rabat and Tel Aviv has become more difficult due to the "mounting tension between Israel and Palestine".

Last month, Israeli military officials participated as observers in a major military drill in Morocco, which saw the participation of troops from the US, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Chad, Brazil, the United Kingdom and others.

In November 2021, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Morocco where he signed a memorandum of understanding with his Moroccan counterpart to allow defence and military cooperation between the defence establishments in the two countries.

Rabat and Tel Aviv have also signed several cooperation agreements in education, trade and security.

Since normalising, four Israeli officials visited the Kingdom. The last visit was of Israel's interior minister Ayelet Shaked to discuss bringing in Moroccan workers for Israel's construction and nursing sectors.

Her visit drew heavy criticism due to her previous anti-Arab statements.

Moroccan authorities have yet to comment on Kochavi's visit.