21 July 2022; MEMO: Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki yesterday denounced what he considered an Arab country "resorting" to Israel to "bully" another Arab country, in reference to Morocco.
Marzouki's remarks came after the visit of the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Aviv Kochavi, to Morocco.
"Nothing can justify receiving an army chief of staff that occupies the West Bank, rips it apart daily with settlements, confiscates the right of Gazans to a normal life for more than a decade, and violates the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque," Marzouki wrote on Facebook.
"And here he [Kohavi] is the guest of an Arab country, as if it is strengthening this army against another Arab country, which remains – whatever the drawbacks – a neighbouring country and a sister country," he added in reference to the differences between Morocco and Algeria.
Relations between Morocco and Algeria are witnessing a severe diplomatic crisis, since the latter's decision to sever its relationship with Rabat over what it considered "hostile acts" towards it.
Al-Marzouki added that "Israel has become a party to our conflicts, not only in the Levant but also in the Maghreb, and everyone knows in which direction its interests are moving."
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Kochavi arrived in Morocco on Monday for his first ever visit to the country. There, he met with senior officials in Morocco. The two countries signed security agreements of a "defensive nature" including regarding the exchange of military expertise and joint manoeuvres, sources said.
This comes after Israel and Morocco announced the resumption of diplomatic relations in December 2020. Morocco is the fourth Arab country to agree to normalisation with the occupation state of Israel in 2020, after the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan, while Egypt and Jordan signed peace agreements with Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively.
