Moroccans stage mass sit-in in key port to condemn docking of Israeli ships
Pro-Palestine Moroccans have occupied the country’s largest industrial port in a mass sit-in, condemning the docking of Israeli ships that carry weapons to the regime amid a genocidal war against Gaza.
Thousands of protesters gathered inside and around the Tanger Med port in northern Morocco on Sunday to protest against their government’s complicity in Israeli war crimes.
Protesters chanted slogans against the normalization of diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime and called on the Moroccan government to sever all ties with the Occupying Entity.
The sit-in follows weeks of demonstrations at the same port, during which eight Moroccan workers resigned in protest.
The Moroccan government has refused to comment on the matter, neither confirming nor denying the reports of Israeli ships docking at Tanger Med or other ports.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Morocco has witnessed repeated nationwide protests denouncing the Israeli regime’s aggression.
Around 1,500 people took to the streets of the Moroccan port city of Tangier on Sunday to protest against the planned docking of a ship said to be carrying spare parts for F-35 warplanes from the US to Israel.
Protests broke out in the cities of Tangier and Agadir in December 2023, following revelations that the Danish shipping giant Maersk was using Moroccan ports to bring weapons, especially F-35 fighter jet parts, to the regime.
In May 2024, port workers reported Israeli-linked ships, including Maersk ships, arriving at Tanger Med and the Port of Casablanca, prompting large-scale rallies across the North African country.
Morocco normalized relations with Israel in December 2020 as part of the US-brokered so-called Abraham Accords. This agreement was made during the first administration of US President Donald Trump.
In exchange, the US recognized Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara. Alongside Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates also normalized ties with Israel.
The Accords were widely criticized by pro-Palestine groups, who viewed them as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.
