Morocco: Calls for Protests Monday to Support Jerada Detainees

Citizens protest in Jerada for development. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.
Citizens protest in Jerada for development. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.
TT

Morocco: Calls for Protests Monday to Support Jerada Detainees

Citizens protest in Jerada for development. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.
Citizens protest in Jerada for development. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.

The local committee entrusted with backing Jerada movement, east Morocco, called for protests on Monday infront of the Palace of Justice to support the detainees. The committee demanded that responsible authorities respond to social requests and provide adequate conditions for a dialogue.

Meanwhile, the US Consulate General in Casablanca urged American citizens in Morocco to avoid traveling to Jerada. Based on Media reports, the American mission in the Kingdom wrote that "numerous demonstrations and protests continue to occur in Jerada on regular basis and there have been reports of confrontations between security forces and demonstrators."

In the same context, Morocco's Unified Socialist Party expressed support to the popular movement in Jerada.

In a statement, the party rejected the policy of promises that is adopted by the authorities in tackling the demands. The Unified Socialist Party asserted that any serious dialogue should be paired with a real development strategy, as this is the correct choice to save the region from marginalization and shortage in all fields

In its turn, the Democratic Way described the intervention of security forces in Jerada as a hasty step, demanding prompt release of detainees and refusing the charges against it of provoking people to protest.

The Moroccan government addressed the protests in ts weekly meeting on Thursday.

Ministry of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit presented a brief about the historic development of the city since the liquidation of Jerada charcoal kilns company in 1998, and the latest updates as well as the visit of the prime minister to the region.

Commenting on the clashes, Laftit said that they left injured, most of them from the security forces. Further, five vehicles were burned and other vehicles and equipment were damaged.



G7 Leaders Endorse Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire and Insist Israel Follow International Law

 From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
TT

G7 Leaders Endorse Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire and Insist Israel Follow International Law

 From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)

Foreign ministers from the world’s industrialized countries said Tuesday they strongly supported an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and insisted that Israel comply with international law in its ongoing military operations in the region.

At the end of their two-day summit, the ministers didn’t refer directly to the International Criminal Court and its recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over crimes against humanity.

Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official meeting agenda, even though the G7 was split on the issue. The US, Israel’s closest ally, isn’t a signatory to the court and has called the warrants “outrageous.”

However, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said all the other G7 countries were signatories and therefore obliged to respect the warrants.

In the end, the final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, “must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law.”

And it said all G7 members — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – “reiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations.” It stressed that “there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel.”

The ICC warrants say there's reason to believe Netanyahu used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.