In Tangier, Morocco, a wave of protests against the country’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with Israel has intensified, revealing a growing rift between governmental choices and public opinion. This opposition has now reached the nation’s vital ports.
Among the crowd of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags was Ismail Lghazaoui, a 34-year-old agricultural engineer, who recently joined fellow protesters with banners proclaiming “Reject the ship,” targeting a vessel carrying fighter jet components from Houston, Texas. The activists are pressuring Moroccan port authorities to block military shipments bound for Israel, in a manner similar to actions previously taken by Spain.
Protesters frequently target the Danish shipping giant Maersk, involved in transporting components for Lockheed Martin’s F-35, as a part of a U.S. Defense Department’s program for military sales to allied nations, including Israel. Ismail Lghazaoui’s previous engagement in a comparable boycott campaign led to his imprisonment last year, yet his resolve remained undeterred, returning to demonstrate after his release. He is among numerous activists taken to task by Moroccan authorities for opposing the country’s alignment with Israel.
During a protest in November in Casablanca, plainclothes officers prevented Lghazaoui and others from approaching the U.S. Consulate, he recounted. After he posted about Maersk on social media, he was arrested and sentenced for incitement. Initially receiving a one-year sentence, he ended up serving two months in prison and two additional months on parole.
“The authorities attempt to silence us,” remarked Lghazaoui, reflecting on the government’s efforts to deter public activism.
Morocco is one of the four nations that formalized relations with Israel in 2020, an initiative brokered by Donald Trump termed as the Abraham Accords. This accord garnered Morocco U.S. backing for its claims over Western Sahara, but at the expense of mounting public discontent over normalization with Israel—a sentiment that has swelled amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
“There exists a substantial divide between public sentiment and the actions of the power elites in Morocco,” stated Aboubakr Jamai, an academic at the Madrid Center at the American College of the Mediterranean.
Mass protests in Morocco, primarily comprising families, students, Islamists, and union members, have occasionally attracted radical elements. These protests have involved burning Israeli flags and denouncing royal adviser André Azoulay, a Jewish Moroccan. Meanwhile, security forces equipped in riot gear have managed the demonstrations, which criticize the burgeoning Morocco-Israel trade and military relationship.
Although Morocco’s constitution allows for freedom of expression, criticism of the monarchy or King Mohammed VI remains illegal, with the risk of prosecution. During this ongoing conflict, activists who have denounced the government on social media or disrupted business activities have incurred imprisonment.
Contrary to responses seen in Egypt and Jordan, where similar dissent has been squashed, the arrests in Morocco have not suppressed public outrage or the activists’ calls for action.
In recent weeks, protests have shifted focus to the nation’s strategic ports and the companies using them for military shipments. Activists, alongside port workers, have called for blocking two vessels on transatlantic routes suspected of transporting fighter jet parts to Israel from docking in Moroccan ports.
The movement gained traction when Morocco’s largest labor union backed the campaign, alongside a religious edict from Islamic groups like Al Adl wal Ihsan. Despite the Islamist movement’s restrictions from political participation, it has galvanized large crowds in pro-Palestinian actions throughout the Israel-Hamas war.
Maersk has acknowledged that their ships carried parts used in fighter jets but refuted claims of directly shipping weapons to conflict zones, citing the requirement for end-use certificates to verify the military cargo’s ultimate destination. An unnamed port official mentioned that cargo leaving Morocco is scrutinized, but those docking temporarily are not subjected to examination.
So far, neither the Israeli military nor Morocco’s Foreign Ministry has provided clarity regarding these shipments or the broader issue of normalization. However, Moroccan diplomats have previously justified ties with Israel as a platform to advocate for a two-state solution and facilitate aid to Gaza.
The persistent focus on Gaza has sparked debate in Morocco, with certain nationalist voices arguing that this diverts attention from pressing domestic issues like the marginalization of the Indigenous Amazigh population and the Western Sahara dispute.
For some factions, the prolonged conflict has instigated political shifts. The Justice and Development Party, once supportive of normalization with Israel, recently extended an invitation to Hamas officials for their congress in Rabat, although these officials were denied entry into the country.
“Palestine will remain our primary cause,” affirmed Abdelilah Benkirane, the former prime minister and secretary-general of the Justice and Development Party.