The Farce of Normalization: A Taste of Morocco and a Sip of "Israel"

• Marion Kawas 

• Source: Al Mayadeen English

Normalizing ties with "Israel" is the official cementing of Israeli apartheid with despotic and reactionary Arab regimes, all in the name of furthering crude economic gains and regressive political ambitions.

Canada’s leading Zionist lobby group held its annual parliamentary reception on September 20, 2022, and dedicated it to the "Abraham Accords" and in particular, the growing ties between Morocco and "Israel". The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) picked up where they left off before Covid shut down such in-person events; and their Twitter feed was full of photos of various parliamentarians, including Canadian cabinet ministers, who attended the reception.

“A taste of Morocco and a sip of Israel” was the theme for the night and highlighted the shameful normalization between the two. Morocco’s ambassador to Canada was there, and the Moroccan embassy itself was a cosponsor of the event along with the Israeli embassy. Interestingly, on its official Facebook account, the Moroccan embassy downplayed the other cosponsors and made no explicit mention of the involvement of "Israel" and its lobby group in organizing the reception, simply saying “Morocco guest of honor of the 2022 annual successful parliamentary reception, held this evening in Ottawa..”.

Historically, Morocco always had strong ties with successive Israeli governments, especially under the late King Hassan II. Ties that included information and intelligence exchange and as early as 1963, Mossad was reported to have opened an office in Morocco. Israeli intelligence officials later stated that King Hassan had passed them secret recordings of Arab leaders’ discussions at the 1965 Casablanca summit, which gave them a strategic advantage and helped "Israel" win the 1967 war.

And in March 2013, Morocco acquired three Heron drones equipped with Israeli systems that had been routed through France and then transferred to the Moroccan Air Force after being painted in the appropriate colors.

But the new accord, signed in December 2020, can and will build on those ties and is hoping to cultivate $250 million worth of Israeli exports and business opportunities. Additionally, Israeli media speculated that “Morocco entered into a free trade agreement with Africa in early 2021, meaning it could also serve as a gateway to increasing trade with African countries in general.” 

None of this treachery, however, seems to have disqualified Morocco as the chair of the Jerusalem Committee for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

And now to the “sip of Israel”, which was of course Israeli wines. Most Israeli wines sold in Canada are linked to the illegal settlement enterprise; additionally, Canada still does not require any specific labeling of which wines are settlement products. According to CIJA, attendees to the reception came from “all parties”, and included the New Democratic Party leader, Jagmeet Singh, despite his recent affirmation to “end all trade and economic cooperation with illegal settlements...”.   

Did these parliamentarians and other guests in attendance know they were legitimizing the theft and plunder of Palestinian resources? Did any bother to question the wine that was being served? Did the Moroccan representatives and other foreign dignitaries know or care? 

Herein lies the real reasons that the Israeli government and its US sponsor are pushing the so-called Abraham Accords. They present the lie of “friendship” between certain Arab countries and "Israel" to the rest of the world and use it to further legitimize Israeli apartheid and everything it stands for. Arab regimes like Morocco get added international recognition and, in this case, support for their own occupation of Western Sahara and its huge mineral reserves. And Western politicians then join in the chorus and become the cheerleaders for such policies.

And this is why activists across the world are adamant in denouncing this new “normalization” and are clear that it is a betrayal of the long-held aspirations of the people of the region. The so-called Abraham Accords are not the “brave success story for peace” that "Israel" and the Zionist lobby like to portray; rather they are an official cementing of Israeli apartheid with despotic and reactionary Arab regimes, all in the name of furthering crude economic gains and regressive political ambitions. We must say NO to such normalization!