BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- The President of the Zionist entity, Isaac Herzog, awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor to André Azoulay, advisor to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, in a ceremony that sparked intense controversy.
This highest civilian honor in the Zionist entity was presented to Azoulay in acknowledgment of “his commitment to peace and intercultural dialogue”. However, this decision has raised questions and criticisms regarding Morocco’s foreign policy and the political opportunism behind this decoration.
Controversial Decoration
The Zionist president’s decision to decorate André Azoulay raised legitimate questions. The Presidential Medal of Honor is rarely awarded, and its presentation to Azoulay immediately caught the attention of the international community. This move is seen as an attempt by Morocco to strengthen its ties with the entity at the expense of the Palestinians.
Silence of King Mohammed VI Amidst Gaza War Sparks Outrage Among Moroccans
More than one month into the hostilities in Palestine, King Mohammed VI of Morocco continues to maintain a puzzling silence, an attitude that has garnered criticism even within the kingdom.
While the normalization of relations between some Arab nations and the Zionist entitywas underway, former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin warned about the fleeting nature of these agreements, stating that “all of this can disappear overnight.”
In Morocco, this isn’t yet a challenge to the 2020 normalization agreement, but public discontent is increasingly palpable in the face of the horrors of Zionist airstrikes on Gaza.
Normalization in Morocco
The Moroccan kingdom normalized its relations with the Zionist entity in 2020, almost simultaneously with three other Arab nations: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan. These agreements, known as the Abraham Accords, were negotiated under the auspices of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Unlike the other three states, Morocco has a public opinion deeply committed to the Palestinian cause. Authorities had emphasized the role of King Mohammed VI, who proclaimed himself the “president of the Al Quds committee,” and attempted to convince that normalization wouldn’t mean the end of the kingdom’s support for the Palestinian cause.
However, Morocco’s official stance since the beginning of the Zionist bombings in Gaza more than one month seems not to support this assertion.
The King’s Silence
King Mohammed VI has remained strangely silent, as has his government. In the meantime, Moroccans have mobilized in impressive protests in major cities and undertaken other actions to show their support for the Palestinian cause.
On social media, accounts posing as Moroccan appeared to support the Zionist entity and criticize Palestinian resistance, but it was discovered that these were fake accounts.
An investigation by the Eekad platform revealed that around 22,000 fake accounts pretending to be Moroccans were created on Twitter just before the normalization agreement was signed in December 2020. The aim was to make it appear that normalization was accepted by public opinion, which Moroccans refute daily.
Angry Reactions
In addition to massive demonstrations, Moroccans are expressing their discontent everywhere, including in mosques.
A video circulating on TikTok shows a worshipper speaking out against the silence of the Ministry of Waqfs, which falls under the direct responsibility of the king.
The mosque’s imam, who does not seem to have mentioned the situation in Palestine in his sermon, became the target of the worshipper’s anger. The worshipper stated, “The Ministry of Waqfs didn’t dare to speak about what’s happening at Al Aqsa Mosque. They (the Zionists) are considering its demolition. Is there a graver injustice than this? (…) Is there anything graver while our brothers are dying in Palestine?”
The worshipper also directly addressed King Mohammed VI, saying, “In a country where the king is the president of the Al Quds committee, they can’t denounce this. He talks about a petty thief and forgets the big thief who stole an entire nation,” referring to the imam who didn’t mention the situation in Palestine. In Morocco, imams are required to adhere to the themes set by the authorities in their sermons.
Scandals related to normalization are multiplying in Morocco, concurrently with the deteriorating situation in Palestine.
Recently, many people in Tangier took to the streets to protest against attempts by Zionist-Moroccan expatriates who returned after normalization to claim land and property they had abandoned decades ago when they left for the Zionist entity. An influencer on TikTok pondered whether this was the price Moroccans had to pay for the recognition of the alleged “Moroccan sovereignty” over the occupied Sahrawi territories in exchange for normalization with the Zionist entity.
