Morocco rejects normalization with Israel

RABAT, Morocco

Morocco rejects any form of normalization with Israel, Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El-Othmani said on Sunday evening.

"We refuse to normalize relations with the Zionist entity (Israel) because this will embolden it to further breach the rights of the Palestinian people,” El-Othmani said in a meeting with his Justice and Development Party (PJD).

He said the Moroccan king, government and people will always defend the rights of the Palestinian people and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967.

In 1993, Morocco and Israel had a low-level diplomatic ties following the signing of the Oslo Accords between the Palestinians and Israel. However, Rabat suspended the relations with Israel following the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in 2000.

Earlier this month, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel announced a US-brokered agreement to normalize their relations, including opening embassies in each other's territory.

Palestinian groups have denounced the UAE-Israel deal, saying it does not serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of Palestinians.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara