Moroccans Protest New Israeli Capital Punishment Law for Palestinians

On Sunday, a massive crowd of approximately 5,000 demonstrators filled the streets of Rabat to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people, AFP reporters said.

Gathering on the capital’s prominent Mohammed V Avenue, the protesters voiced their outrage over a controversial new Israeli law that mandates the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of “terrorism” by military courts in the occupied West Bank.

The march, coordinated by the National Action Group for Palestine, served as a rare point of unity for activists from various political backgrounds. Participants waved both Moroccan and Palestinian flags while chanting slogans against the death penalty and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Organiser Aziz El Hannaoui, speaking to AFP emphasized that a primary goal of the rally was to send a message of support to Palestinian prisoners currently facing the threat of execution under this new legal framework.

Beyond the specific focus on capital punishment, the demonstration also became a platform for political dissent regarding domestic foreign policy. Many attendees used the gathering to publicly criticize Morocco’s 2020 decision to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, highlighting a persistent tension between official government policy and the sentiments of the Moroccan public.