Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani has rejected any normalization of ties with Israel in the wake of the peace deal signed between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates earlier in August
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2020) Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani has rejected any normalization of ties with Israel in the wake of the peace deal signed between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates earlier in August.
The US-sponsored UAE-Israel peace agreement, which provides for establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries, was announced by US President Donald Trump on August 13. The two states are expected to sign a number of cooperation treaties in upcoming weeks. The deal also appears to have put Israel's plans to annex lands in the West Bank on hold, but, despite that, the Palestinian administration has strongly condemned this tripartite agreement.
"The king of Morocco, the government and the Moroccan people refuse any attempts to Judaize the sacred sites of Jerusalem," Othmani said on Sunday evening, as quoted by the local Yabiladi news portal, when addressing one of the country's largest political entities, the Justice and Development Party.
The prime minister has also noted that it is "a red line that should not be crossed" and added that the kingdom "would defend rights of the Palestinians and Jerusalemites," as well as the city's "Arab and Muslim nature."
The country's high-ranking official has slammed any normalization of relations with Israel. Othmani did not referred specifically to the UAE, but claimed that "the fact that [some countries] make concessions [in connection with Israel] is unacceptable."
According to the news outlet, the statement comes ahead of a visit by White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner to the North African country as part of his tour to several Arab states.
