Othmani: Terrorist Incidents Don’t Affect Morocco’s Stability

Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo
Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo
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Othmani: Terrorist Incidents Don’t Affect Morocco’s Stability

Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo
Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo

Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani has stressed that some “isolated crimes or terrorist incidents” are not capable of tampering with the security and stability of the country.

Speaking Thursday, the PM hailed security agencies in arresting 20 terrorist networks this year alone, a figure that shows “the efforts exerted (by the authorities) at the level of security, and the number of plots that have been thwarted.”

Othmani stressed that citizens, civil society, the media, intellectuals and the government had a role in preserving Morocco’s security.

All communities in the country have expressed their condemnation to terrorism, an evidence on the people’s unity, he said.

The PM urged all state institutions to consolidate their communication with citizens to inform them about the government’s achievements and brief them on the efforts exerted by the authorities in several sectors.

He characterized government work in 2018 as “greatly dynamic” despite many challenges.

Othmani said many reform programs had been launched, promising further measures in 2019 to meet the people’s social needs.



Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services.

The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe.

The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.”

It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues.

The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means.

On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking.

The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack.

Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over.