Arab Parliament Rejects EU Resolution on Morocco

A migrant climbs a breakwater after crossing the Spanish-Moroccan border in the presence of a Spanish civil guard in Ceuta, Spain, May 17, 2021. Reduan Ben Zakouor/El Faro de Ceuta/Handout via REUTERS
A migrant climbs a breakwater after crossing the Spanish-Moroccan border in the presence of a Spanish civil guard in Ceuta, Spain, May 17, 2021. Reduan Ben Zakouor/El Faro de Ceuta/Handout via REUTERS
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Arab Parliament Rejects EU Resolution on Morocco

A migrant climbs a breakwater after crossing the Spanish-Moroccan border in the presence of a Spanish civil guard in Ceuta, Spain, May 17, 2021. Reduan Ben Zakouor/El Faro de Ceuta/Handout via REUTERS
A migrant climbs a breakwater after crossing the Spanish-Moroccan border in the presence of a Spanish civil guard in Ceuta, Spain, May 17, 2021. Reduan Ben Zakouor/El Faro de Ceuta/Handout via REUTERS

The Arab Parliament on Saturday rejected the European Parliament’s resolution regarding Morocco’s policy on the migration issue.

During an emergency meeting held Saturday in Cairo, the Parliament stressed that EU's decision and the false criticism and baseless accusations contained blackmail and unacceptable politicization of Morocco’s efforts to tackle the migration problem.

The Arab Parliament denounced “the intervention of the European Parliament and its insistence on interfering in a bilateral crisis between Morocco and Spain, which can be resolved through diplomatic means and direct bilateral negotiations.”

It also praised the restless efforts made by Morocco in the fight against illegal immigration, which stems from a strong political will and the directions of King Mohammed VI, as leader of the African Union on the issue of migration.

The Parliament further urged the crystallization of a unified and integrated Arab action plan to counter such irresponsible positions of the European Parliament, and in a way that guarantees respect for the sovereignty of the Arab countries and non-interference in its affairs.

It also called on the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Mediterranean Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean and all regional parliaments to reject and condemn this decision, which contradicts the internationally recognized rules of parliamentary diplomacy.

President of the Arab Parliament Adel Abdel Rahmane Al-Asoumi recalled that the European Parliament’s resolution “included false criticism and false accusations,” and revealed a “blatant paradox,” as the EU depends heavily on Moroccan cooperation on its own immigration priorities.

“The Speaker of the Arab Parliament demanded that Arab reactions not stop at the limits of rejection, condemnation, and denunciation,” the statement affirmed.

Chairman of the Saudi Shura Council's Foreign Affairs Committee and member of the Arab parliament Assaf bin Salem Abu Thinain said that the European Parliament’s recent decision was a continuation of its irresponsible approach, which included baseless criticism and accusations.



Israeli Defense Minister Says He Will End Detention without Charge of Jewish Settlers

Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Defense Minister Says He Will End Detention without Charge of Jewish Settlers

Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel’s new defense minister said Friday that he would stop issuing warrants to arrest West Bank settlers or hold them without charge or trial — a largely symbolic move that rights groups said risks emboldening settler violence in the Israeli-occupied territory.

Israel Katz called the arrest warrants “severe” and said issuing them was “inappropriate” as Palestinian militant attacks on settlers in the territory grow more frequent. He said settlers could be “brought to justice” in other ways.

The move protects Israeli settlers from being held in “administrative detention,” a shadowy form of incarceration where people are held without charge or trial.

Settlers are rarely arrested in the West Bank, where settler violence against Palestinians has spiraled since the outbreak of the war Oct. 7.

Katz’s decision was celebrated by far-right coalition allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. National Security Minister and settler firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir applauded Katz and called the move a “correction of many years of mistreatment” and “justice for those who love the land.”

Since Oct. 7, 2023, violence toward Palestinians by Israeli settlers has soared to new heights, displacing at least 19 entire Palestinian communities, according to Israeli rights group Peace Now. In that time, attacks by Palestinian militants on settlers and within Israel have also grown more common.

An increasing number of Palestinians have been placed in administrative detention. Israel holds 3,443 administrative detainees in prison, according to data from the Israeli Prison Service, reported by rights group Hamoked. That figure stood around 1,200 just before the start of the war. The vast majority of them are Palestinian, with only a handful at any given time Israeli Jews, said Jessica Montell, the director of Hamoked.

“All of these detentions without charge or trial are illegitimate, but to declare that this measure will only be used against Palestinians...is to explicitly entrench another form of ethnic discrimination,” said Montell.