Humanitarian Considerations Cannot Be Misused As Political Alibi To Cover Up Malicious Intentions

With all its rich background of tumultuous colonial history, Spain failed to pass the test of separating politics from altruistic humanitarian gestures when Morocco flatly refused its Samaritan defense of giving Brahim Ghali, leader of so -called   Polisario and RASD, a medical sanctuary to recover from a Covid infection.

That Spanish ‘humanitarian’ defense of a purely political action seemed less convincing when Moroccan intelligence services blew the horn with material evidence that Ghali had been admitted to Spain with an Algerian passport and a fake identity.

That Moroccan unmasking of Spanish connivance with Algeria and Ghali was explosive enough to unleash a cascade of retributive actions by Moroccan authorities; as Ambassadress Benyaich was called back home for consultations, and Moroccan security guards, at the border separating occupied city of Ceuta from the motherland, were overpowered by 8000 refugees who flooded the city in anticipation of a hazardous Mediterranean crossing to Spain and other European countries.

In fact, Moroccan-Spanish relations had been tense and escalating towards a head-on conflict since last December when Madrid defiantly challenged president Trump’s recognition of unconditional Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. Thus, the Ghali incident was only the first of a string of breaking points that pose a real threat to complex and unique bilateral relations.

Spain is not only the first commercial partner of Morocco but it is also the occupier of Ceuta and Melilla and the beneficial recipient of hard sought Moroccan intelligence briefing about terrorist activists.

In addition, Morocco had always been a major participant in regional efforts to counter the influx of illegal migration towards European shores of the Mediterranean.

While most observers are still bewildered by the rapid deterioration of supposedly ‘strategic’ relations, Moroccan authorities, empowered by Trump’s recognition, were quick to set the rules of Spanish engagement in the Sahara conflict. According to a new diplomatic offensive headed by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Spain can no longer befriend Morocco and at the same time play host to Ghali to secure its share of Algerian fuel exports and the future wealth of a fictitious republic.

In Morocco’s perspective, Ghali’s admission cannot be explained by ‘humanitarian’ considerations since Spain is fully aware that he declared war on Morocco last November while being sought by Spanish judiciary to face criminal charges of committing mass extermination, torture and rape.

Taking all these details in account, the bottom line set by Morocco, seems both visible and logical: human considerations, though noble and elevating, cannot be misused as political alibi to cover up malicious intentions or disguise deep rooted animosity.