Moroccan authorities violently disperse anti-Israel rally

Moroccan authorities broke up a vigil held to denounce a concert by an Israeli music band this week, according to the activist group that organised the rally.

A vigil denouncing normalisation with Israel and the presence of an Israeli band was held late on Thursday in the Casablanca-Settat region but was "violently" broken up by security forces, the Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Against Normalisation said in a Facebook post on Friday.

Protesters held up banners denouncing "cultural normalisation" but were attacked by security forces, who the group said violently kicked and dispersed them.

Several members of the group were arrested and later released, according to the post, which added that authorities obtained information on their identities.

Morocco normalised relations with Israel in late 2020 under the US-brokered controversial "Abraham Accords" deal, which saw Washington recognise Rabat's sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region in return for re-establishing ties with Tel Aviv.

Moroccan human rights activists and some political figures slammed the decision, calling the move unethical and a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.

Ahmed Ouihman, head of the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, said justifying normalisation with the Western Sahara issue was "unacceptable" and highlighted the state's submission to "blackmail".

Moroccan unions have also argued that cultural normalisation will eventually take over the conventional pro-Palestine stance on the right to return to occupied lands.

They have also warned against promoting values of "tolerance" and "cultural diversity" to conceal Israel's colonial reality and the denial of the rights of the Palestinians.