Morocco's Pro-Palestine activists demand 'official explanation' on $1 billion spy satellite deal with Israel

Despite rising opposition to normalisation with Israel in the North African kingdom, Morocco plans to acquire a spy satellite from Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) in a massive US$1 billion deal.

"We condemn this deal and any agreement with the Zionist entity [...] We demand an official statement and explanation from the government," stated Aziz Hanaoui, a member of the National Front Against Normalisation, to The New Arab.

The head of the Israeli mission in Rabat and Morocco's foreign ministry have yet to confirm the news.

On Tuesday, the Israeli state-owned IAI announced it had entered into a US$1 billion contract to supply one of its systems to an unnamed third party.

In a regulatory filing in Tel Aviv, IAI, which produces some of Israel's most advanced drones and missile defence systems, stated that the deal would be executed over five years.

Under the contract, IAI will supply the Ofek 13 spy satellite, which will replace two Airbus and Thales satellites, Moroccan news website Le Desk reported, citing Israeli sources in Rabat. 

The new Israeli satellite is set to replace the Mohammed VI-A satellite, which was launched in 2017.

The previous satellite, which was intended to provide "strong surveillance for the country's borders and coasts and to manage natural disasters," was produced by France's Thales Alenia Space and Airbus following a 500 million euro (US$ 555 million) contract signed between Rabat and Paris in 2013.

Last December, French media outlet La Tribune speculated that Rabat's decision to replace French companies with Israeli ones was due to an ongoing crisis between Rabat and Paris and the strained relationship between the Moroccan monarch and the French president.

A year after normalising ties, Israel and Morocco agreed on a defence pact in 2021, covering intelligence and cooperation in military industries and procurement.

Despite public opposition, a source from the Moroccan foreign ministry confirmed in March to Reuters Rabat's ongoing normalisation with Israel, claiming its "benefits" in advocating for the Palestinian people and securing humanitarian aid for Gaza.

The National Front Against Normalisation has also urged the parliament to question the country's foreign minister, Nasser Bourita, about the "intentions" behind the ongoing influencers' and students’ trips from Rabat to Tel Aviv.

This week, the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, a non-partisan foreign-defence think tank, hosted a group of Moroccan students and influencers as part of a trip sponsored by the Sharaka organisation, as shared on their X account.

Since 2020, Sharaka, a youth organisation, has opened offices in the Abraham Accords signatory states "to translate the governmental agreements to the popular level," according to their website. 

"We have sources indicating that those people (in the trip) met with Mossad agents, visited the Gaza border, and expressed unwavering support for the Israeli army," added Hanaoui, who argued that those involved should face trial.