Morocco's Prince Hicham tweets support for Palestinian 'right to resist' despite normalisation

The cousin of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has posted a series of tweets on X, formerly Twitter, this week voicing support for Palestine amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.  

Prince Hicham Aloaui on Monday posted tweets in Arabic and French which read: "Once again, the events of October 7 confirm the steadfastness of the Palestinian people to survive, and their fate will not be like the fate of the Native Americans."

Alaoui added that with "limited capabilities and tremendous determination", Palestinians have eliminated "the policy of deterrence" and "the invincibility of the Israeli army".  

مجددا، تؤكد ,أحداث 7 أكتوبر صمود الشعب الفلسطيني من أجل البقاء، ولن يكون مصيره مثل مصير الهنود الحمر. فبإمكانيات محدودة وعزيمة جبارة قضى على "سياسة الردع" وأسطورة عدم انهزام الجيش الإسرائيلي. هذه الأحداث تتطلب منا موقفا واضحا، إذ أن مواجهة جيش الاحتلال حق مشروع، pic.twitter.com/p8fYxyFB6f

— Hicham Alaoui (@HichamAlaouiSW) October 9, 2023

Alaoui called for Hamas to immediately release civilians but also called out the "double standards" which turned a blind eye "displacement and ethnic cleansing" in the occupied West Bank and "torture, arrest, siege, and random bombing in the Gaza Strip".  

He concluded: "Until the Palestinians regain their legitimate rights: We are all Palestinians."

Morocco normalised ties with Israel in 2020, in exchange for US recognition of its sovereignty over the long-disputed Western Sahara territory.

Despite the official diplomatic ties, Moroccans have rallied in support of Palestinians in Gaza who are now suffering unprecedented airstrikes. The protesters have spoken against Morocco's normalisation deal with Israel. 

From New York to London, Sydney to Athens - thousands around the world have filled the streets in solidarity with Palestinians over the last few days as the escalation in violence between Hamas militants and Israeli forces continues ⬇ pic.twitter.com/aOYsH4pwgS

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 10, 2023

In February 2021, Alaoui responded to criticism of the normalisation of ties between Morocco and Israel.

In a guest feature for Le Nouvel Observateur, he wrote: "Morocco does not consider that the question of Western Sahara and that of Palestine can be the subject of reciprocal bargaining. Both situations are sad legacies of Western colonialism, but each has its own specificity and poses its own challenges. 

"The essential task for Morocco is to resolve each conflict in the most just way."