Moroccan official: Raising representation between Morocco and 'Israel' goes beyond diplomatic relations
Ahmed Weihman, head of the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization, said that raising the level of diplomatic representation between Morocco and Israel to the level of embassies goes beyond diplomatic relations, considering it part of a broader path of normalization and political, cultural, and symbolic penetration of Morocco. Weihman rejected using the Western Sahara issue as a justification for normalization, calling on Moroccan authorities to halt the normalization path and close the Israeli liaison office.
Ahmed Weihman, head of the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization, said that raising the level of diplomatic representation between Morocco and Israel to the level of embassies and exchanging ambassadors goes, in his view, beyond the matter of diplomatic relations, considering it part of a broader path of normalization and political, cultural, and symbolic penetration of Morocco. Weihman explained, in a statement to Shihab Agency, that the path of relations began from a liaison office before moving towards raising representation to the level of embassies, pointing to what he described as speeches and incidents targeting the symbolic and historical domain of Morocco. He cited a previous statement by former Israeli liaison office director Luna Fisher, in which she said the office "will not just be an embassy, but a home for every Israeli in the world," considering that this statement, along with phrases speaking of "Morocco as a Jewish land" and "Morocco the holy kingdom of the Children of Israel," raises questions about the nature of the current path. Weihman rejected using the Western Sahara issue as a justification for normalization, affirming that the Sahara and Moroccan sovereignty "are not a bargaining chip" with any foreign power. He stressed that Palestine, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa Mosque hold a special place among broad sectors of the Moroccan people, pointing to protests and marches in Moroccan cities rejecting normalization. He described the current path as going beyond diplomatic normalization to what he called "normalization of influence, discourse, and penetration," calling on Moroccan authorities to halt the normalization path, close the Israeli liaison office, and end forms of cooperation he believes harm national sovereignty. He also called on political, union, human rights, and civil forces in Morocco to continue anti-normalization activism.