Benkirane replies to royal scorn after Israel statements

Last updated Mar 15, 2023

In response to King Mohammed VI’s criticism of the Islamic party for criticizing relations with Israel, the PJD said that its remarks were made in reference to Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita rather than the country’s international interests.

The party claimed that it was not offended by the King’s scorn but denounced “a campaign that intended to insult it.”

“The General Secretariat confirms that its current communiqué does not depart from the Party’s firm and frequent positions in support of the Palestinian struggle and the Palestinian people and against normalization,” said PJD Secretary General Abdelilah Benkirane in a statement on Wednesday.

In a contentious statement, the PJD said Bourita had “defended the Israeli entity” in discussions with African and European leaders.

The declaration made reference to Bourita’s comments made during a recent meeting with Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, in which he discussed trilateral regional cooperation and the development opportunities it provides between Morocco, the European Commission, and Israel.

The Moroccan foreign minister appears to be a supporter of Israel as the Israeli occupation continues its criminal aggression against our Palestinian brothers, particularly in Nablus, according to Benkirane, whose party was in power when Morocco made the historic decision to normalize relations with Israel in December 2020.

Benkirane said in his statement on Wednesday that his earlier criticism was legal and in accordance with his obligations as a partisan and national citizen.