Tens of thousands of Moroccans gathered in Casablanca on Sunday to demand a lasting cease-fire in Gaza and the suspension of diplomatic relations with Israel. Despite the once-growing ties between Morocco and Israel since their normalization in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, the recent Palestinian conflict  has strained their relationship.

The demonstration in Casablanca saw participants waving Palestinian flags and urging Rabat to sever ties with Israel. Socialist MP Nabila Mounib emphasized the need for a permanent cease-fire, advocating for peace and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.

Hassan Bahadou, representing the anti-normalization alliance of leftist parties and Islamists that organized the protest, condemned what he described as the silence of Arab regimes allied with Israel.

While pro-Palestinian demonstrations had been on the decline in Morocco in recent years, the Gaza war has sparked a resurgence in activism. Moroccan cardiologist Safae Abderazzak participated in the protest to denounce Israeli aggression against Palestinians and fellow doctors in Gaza.

The four-day truce that began on Friday marked a temporary halt to the conflict between Hamas and Israel, triggered by an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7. The conflict resulted in casualties on both sides, with Hamas raids into southern Israel killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. Israel, in reprisal, bombarded the densely populated Gaza Strip, resulting in a significant number of casualties.

As part of the truce, Hamas released 39 Israelis and 19 foreign and dual-national hostages on Friday, in exchange for the liberation of 117 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The situation remains complex, with ongoing concerns about the prospects for lasting peace in the region.

Read Also: Hamas Ceasefire Success: 24 Hostages Freed on Day One in Gaza

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The European Commission has decided to extend the Peasant Partnership Agreement with Morocco, which now covers the entire country, including all of Morocco’s southern territories.

In a statement released today, Friday, the Polisario front denounced the extension of the partnership between the European Union and Morocco, which covers the territory of the southern territories of the Kingdom of Morocco.

In this regard, the Front of Polisario had issued a statement through its “Representative of Europe and the European Union,” Abi Bakri al-Bashir, in which it had followed up discussions before the INTA Committee of the European Parliament, held on 13 July 2021, concerning the European Union-Morocco Partnership Agreement and its extension to the entire Sahara, noting its rejection of the resolution covering the southern territories of the Kingdom.

The European Union has issued a statement confirming its intention to send a mission to the Southern Territories to learn about the impact of the trade agreement on the Kingdom’s Southern Territories and the extent of development in southern Morocco.

It should also be noted that the official website of the European Union states that trade and investment relations between the Union’s member states and Morocco are intense, that the European organization is the Kingdom of Morocco’s leading trading partner, and that our country is also the European Union’s largest trading partner among neighboring countries.

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Saturday morning, July 10, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced changes to his government ministers.
According to an examined article reported by “El País” newspapers, the exemption of Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González from all duties, after it triggered a diplomatic crisis with Morocco; regarding Spain’s reception of the leader of the Polisario separatist mercenaries, Ibrahim Ghali, is one of the most notable decisions, except for the replacement of two separate ministers this year, three months after the left-wing disdain in Madrid provincial elections, this is the first and largest presidential change in the government since Sanchez’s inauguration as Prime Minister three years ago.
Thus, the Spanish Ambassador to France, José Manuel Albaris, who has already been a consistent candidate for this Ministry, will be in charge of foreign affairs.
According to the government, the primary goal of this change will be the country’s economic and social recovery.
As per observers, the Moroccan crisis had a significant impact, particularly on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was accused by the Attorney-Office General’s of allowing the leader of the Polisario mercenaries into Spain unattended and causing the army to take illegal actions.

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On July 13th, 1976, the Kingdom of Morocco and Australia established their diplomatic relations.

Morocco’s Ambassador to Australia, Karim Medrek, revealed that relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and Australia are currently witnessing a distinct dynamic.

In an interview with Australian news site Vibe Media, the Moroccan diplomat expressed his conviction that these relations will continue to develop in the coming years, given that the two friendly countries, despite the geographical distance, share the same position on various international issues.

And because the year 2021 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Australia, the diplomat stated that “this anniversary comes as an occasion to reflect on the evolution of this relationship and how to bring our two friendly countries closer as these relations are, currently, undergoing an excellent momentum, marked by a common willingness of both countries to favour rapprochement and to seize the existing opportunities of cooperation, particularly in the economic field.”

Medrek also pointed out that the inauguration of an Australian embassy in Morocco in 2017 was a tangible indication of Australia’s desire to strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom, explaining that a dynamic political dialogue is underway with Australian authorities on multilateral cooperation and global issues such as peace, security and countering terrorism.

On economic cooperation, Medrek stressed that Morocco and Australia wish to enhance economic exchange between them, given the pioneering role that the two countries play in their regions, as well as the large number of investment opportunities offered in many sectors of interest.

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