Thousands of protestors marched through Morocco's capital city, Rabat, in solidarity with Palestine. Reportedly, protesters called for the end of the Israeli "war of extermination" and expressed opposition to their government's normalization of ties with the occupation. 

The march through Mohammed V Avenue was organized by several Moroccan leftist groups and members of the Islamist Justice and Charity movement, with chants of "stop the war of extermination in Gaza, stop normalization" being echoed. 

Participants raised banners with slogans to save Gaza and free Palestine, among other condemnations of the destruction of hospitals in Gaza and the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 

The crowd also showed explicit support for the Palestinian Resistance and addressed the United States, incriminating its government of the genocide. 

One protester, Jihane, 27 years old, said "When you bomb massively without distinction between military targets and civilians, including babies -- that is a genocide. We must call a spade a spade."

Hachimi Damni, a 62-year-old protester, said he had come to denounce the Israeli aggression in Gaza and normalization with "Israel".

Part of the protest in the capital of Morocco, Rabat, as a sign of solidarity with Gaza and condemnation of Israeli aggression pic.twitter.com/hJtn58OV8R

— S p r i n t e r (@Sprinter99800) December 24, 2023

Read more: Mass rallies in support of Palestinian Resistance, Gaza

The Western Sahara conflict: A pro for 'Israel'

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The normalization agreement between the Israeli occupation regime and Morocco was signed in December 2020 under former US President Donald Trump’s administration. One of the key components of the agreement was that Washington declare the Western Sahara as part of Morocco, which was ratified by Trump.

Since then, Israeli companies and manufacturing facilities extended their business outreach across the Western Sahara, signaling a joint effort between "Tel Aviv" and Rabat to integrate the region's economic system and trade market with that of Morocco and expand "Israel's" influence and industrial complex into Africa.

Western Sahara used to be a Spanish colony, rich in phosphate and enjoying access to Atlantic fishing waters. However, Morocco sees the region as part of its territory.

In 1975, Morocco annexed part of the region – a region indigenous to the Sahrawi people – and its entirety in 1979. Few have accepted these actions: today, 82 countries recognize Western Sahara’s independence, while only the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the land.

Read more: Moroccans shout out: “Normalization is treacherous”

Moroccan solidarity with Gaza since October 7

In October, the official in charge of the Israeli liaison office in Rabat, David Govrin, left Morocco returning to occupied Palestine following demonstrations that swept the Moroccan capital denouncing the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital massacre committed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip.

Socialist MP Nabila Mounib told AFP that a permanent ceasefire is what is needed to pave the way for "peace, for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state, with its capital in Jerusalem," adding that "the return of all those exiled in the Palestinian diaspora" was something she hoped to see along with the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners held by the Israeli occupation.

Moroccan activists and intellectuals also called for "immediately ceasing normalization with Israel and severing all ties with the entity." This plea comes amid the war crimes committed against the Palestinians to eliminate them through genocide and forced displacement.

Over 180 signatories urged the Moroccan state in a statement to "officially and explicitly cease all ties with the Zionist entity, whose hands are stained with the blood of children, women, and youth victims."

The signatories underscored in their statement that the call is based on basic human values, condemning the genocide and war crimes perpetrated by the Zionist entity against the Palestinian people. The call also stems from the Palestinians' right to exist and the necessity of upholding the dignity of Moroccans and respecting their sentiments. The signatories affirmed their unwavering and unconditional alignment with the Palestinians, expressing full support for the Palestinian Resistance.

The statement emphasized that the ongoing normalization "represents a fatal blow to the Palestinian cause, insults Moroccans, and is detrimental to the interests of the country, which has consistently demonstrated openness."

Mass demonstration in #Tangier, Morocco, in solidarity with #Palestine against the Israeli aggression on #Gaza.#Morocco #PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack https://t.co/szQyQgjuTf

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 22, 2023