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Morocco PM Rejects ‘Betrayal’ Accusations after Signing Normalization Deal with Israel

Morocco’s Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani. (PJD Press Office)
Morocco’s Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani. (PJD Press Office)
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Morocco PM Rejects ‘Betrayal’ Accusations after Signing Normalization Deal with Israel

Morocco’s Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani. (PJD Press Office)
Morocco’s Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani. (PJD Press Office)

Morocco’s Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani has denounced statements accusing him of “betraying” the Palestinian cause, after he signed a normalization deal with Israel on Dec. 22.

He justified this step by affirming that his Justice and Development Party (PJD) cannot contradict with the state’s choices and the King’s directives.

In a speech before a PJD National Council meeting, the PM said his party acted in support of King Mohammed VI’s national effort “to defend the sovereignty of the homeland and consecrate the Moroccan Sahara.”

Bolstering Morocco’s sovereignty and enhancing its national unity are among the party’s program and targets, he noted.

Othmani said that he accepts the criticism, however, he rejects any questioning of the party’s position and that of Morocco, regarding the Palestinian cause.

He asserted that there are no compromises when it comes to the Palestinian cause, as well as the Sahara issue, stressing that he still rejects the violations committed by Israel against Palestinians and its settlements activities.

The PM renewed support to the Palestinians’ right to return to their country and establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

He cited a royal statement on Dec. 10, which stressed that recent “measures do not in any manner affect Morocco’s ongoing and sustained commitment to the just Palestinian cause.”

Othmani expressed surprise by those who attacked his party and accused it of changing its position.

“We reject the attacks and any questioning of the party’s position and Morocco’s position regarding the struggle of the Palestinian people,” he stressed, in reference to remarks by the Palestinian Hamas movement.

“What is required is clarity and steadfastness in the positions, as well as strength to act on their basis,” he said, calling on everyone to be “just, objective and humble.”

According to Othmani, the PJD’s strategy is based on being loyal to the king, fulfilling the unified national principles, contributing to political and social reform and maintaining its political and organizational unity.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.