Hamas ‘disappointed’ with Morocco’s Islamist PM for signing normalization deal
The Islamist Justice and Development Party is an Islamist conservative party that advocates for Islamism while supporting the Moroccan monarchy.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHMeir Ben Shabbat and Jared Kushner meet with King Mohammed VI of Morocco(photo credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM, GPO)
Hamas has expressed “disappointment” with Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani, the leader of the Islamist Justice and Development Party, for signing Tuesday’s normalization agreement with Israel on behalf of his country.JDP is an Islamist conservative party that advocates for Islamism, while supporting the Moroccan monarchy.Otmani, who is described by some Moroccans as the leader of the country’s Muslim Brotherhood organization, had condemned the normalization agreements signed between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.In a speech last August, Otmani said that Morocco rejects any normalization with the “Zionist entity because this allows it to continue its violation of the rights of the Palestinian people.”Otmani is currently facing strong criticism on social media platforms for signing the normalization agreement despite his declared opposition to peace with Israel.Several Palestinians and Moroccans said that his participation in the signing ceremony was a “huge disgrace” for Morocco’s Islamist party and the Muslim Brotherhood.Some social media users and political activists said they believe Morocco’s King Mohammed VI insisted that Otmani sign the agreement in order to “embarrass” the JDP and other Islamist groups opposed to normalization with Israel.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that his movement was “let down” by Otmani’s participation at the signing ceremony.“We were hoping that he would take an honorable and historic stance,” Abu Zuhri said. “This is a major fall for the [Moroccan] Justice and Development Party.”The Hamas spokesman called on the JDP to “correct this flaw in order to preserve Morocco’s status and the history of the party.”Palestinian political analyst Ibrahim Hamami also criticized Otmani for signing the normalization deal with Israel, dubbing the move “totally humiliating.”Hamami said that the Moroccan prime minister should have refused to attend the ceremony, “notwithstanding the pressure he was facing.”Saudi businessman and blogger Munther al-Sheikh Mubarak, commenting on the participation of Otmani in the ceremony in Rabat, wrote on Twitter: “What happened with Saadeddine Otmani reflects the reality of the Muslim Brotherhood. They do not care about Jerusalem. They only care about slogans which they use to manipulate the idiots.”
