Moroccan head of the government has been trying, recently, to reassure Palestinians on the Kingdom’s support for their national cause. His attempts followed the recent comments of Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita on the «Deal of the century», the US «peace plan» for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Bourita stated, Tuesday, during a meeting at the Parliament’s Upper House that «the Sahara remains Morocco’s most important cause and not Palestine». He also stressed that Moroccans shouldn’t be more «Palestinian than the Palestinians themselves».
Replying to that, El Othmani and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh discussed in a phone call, Monday, the new «peace plan». El Othmani said on his Twitter account, Monday, that Haniyeh reiterated Palestine’s rejection of the so-called «Deal of the century», hailing the efforts of King Mohammed VI.
On the phone with El Othmani, the Hamas leader stressed the need of having the support of Arabs and the importance of having a united position against said plan, the Palestinian movement wrote on its official website.
El Othmani reiterates Morocco's support for Palestine
After phoning a Hamas leader, El Othmani spoke to Arabi 21 addressing Morocco’s support for the Palestinian cause. In an interview published, Thursday, El Othmani stressed that Rabat sees the Palestinian question as a central issue.
«Morocco and its king, its government and its people, are clear when it comes to the Palestinian cause and are fully supportive of the Palestinian people until the realization of all their rights, including the creation of a 'Palestinian State with its capital being Al-Quds Acharif'», he told the pan Arabic newspaper.
The politician indicated that «Morocco rejects all attempts aiming to harm Al-Quds (…) and all solutions that ignore these constants».
El Othmani's comments on the Palestinian cause were also a way of responding to recent reports on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's alleged deal with the Trump Administration.
For the record, an Israeli channel reported earlier this week that Netanyahu has reportedly been discussing a three-way agreement that would see the United States recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange for having Rabat take steps to normalize ties with Israel.
Days later, a Moroccan official told Bloomberg that Israel has allegedly been trying to convince the United States of opening a consulate in Western Sahara to help bolster ties between Rabat and Tel Aviv.