Morocco Recalls Its Ambassador to Berlin For Consultations

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo
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Morocco Recalls Its Ambassador to Berlin For Consultations

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita. Reuters file photo

Morocco recalled its ambassador to Berlin for consultations on Thursday in protest at what it described as Germany's "destructive attitude" towards Rabat's position on the Western Sahara issue.

It accused Germany of engaging in "antagonistic activism" after the United States in December recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.

In a statement, it also repeated a previous complaint that Germany had not invited it to a 2020 Berlin conference on Libya.

Morocco also said on Thursday that Germany had disclosed sensitive information provided by Moroccan security services to a convicted militant.

It condemned German authorities’ “complicity” with regards to the case of Mohamed Hajib, a former terrorism convict who lives in Germany.

Hajib has been living in the European country since 2017 after he spent seven years in a Moroccan prison for terror charges.

Tensions initially emerged between Morocco and Germany after Berlin refused to extradite Hajib who has published a series of videos on YouTube attacking Moroccan officials.

“For all these reasons and due to this constant and unacceptable hostility, the Kingdom of Morocco has decided to recall the Ambassador for consultation,” the Moroccan ministry said in a statement.

Notably, this comes few months after a letter was leaked online from Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to the rest of the Moroccan government ordering officials to suspend “all contact, interaction and cooperation” with the German Embassy and embassy-related activities.



Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
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Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Israel's army on Sunday confirmed it was calling up "tens of thousands" of reservists to expand its war in Gaza, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said.

"This week we are issuing tens of thousands of orders to our reservists to intensify and expand our operation in Gaza," Zamir said in a statement, adding the army would destroy all Hamas infrastructure, "both on the surface and underground.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet on Sunday to discuss the expansion of the Gaza offensive and a possible resumption of aid into the besieged enclave, two government officials said.
In a video message posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, hours after part of a missile launched from Yemen by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia fell close to Israel's main gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said he was convening the security cabinet to discuss "the next stage" of the war in Gaza.
It was unclear if the ministers will give final approval at the meeting.
Already in control of almost a third of Gaza's territory, Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months.
Ministers have justified the blockade by saying that Hamas has seized aid intended for civilians and kept it for its own fighters or sold it, charges that Hamas has denied. At the same time, Israel has faced warnings of famine in Gaza as supplies run low.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported last week that a new plan was in the works by which aid will soon be distributed by private foreign companies, rather than UN agencies, in a new designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza area of Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks.
New aid plans will be discussed at Sunday's security cabinet meeting, two officials said.
Aid has been a contested issue within the Israeli leadership and defense establishment for months. The military has pushed back against calls by some politicians who want Israel to seize Gaza for good and have Israeli soldiers hand out aid.