A Palestinian official disavows statements supporting the secessionist proposal in the Moroccan Sahara

At a time when Moroccans are taking to the streets almost daily in solidarity with the Palestinian people and denouncing the continuation of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, supported by the official position in turn supporting the Palestinian cause, a Palestinian politician, representative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Algeria, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, made statements. Hostile to the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and supportive of the separatist project in the Sahara.

According to what was reported by the so-called “Sahrawi News Agency,” Ali Abu Hilal, deputy representative of the Popular Front in Algeria, gave a lecture on the sidelines of his participation in what was called the “International Arab Symposium in Solidarity with the Sahrawi People,” held in the Rabouni camps on the 17th and 18th of the month. Al-Jari, through which he likened the goals of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories to what he described as “the Moroccan occupation of the Sahara,” recording, according to the same source, that “both of them deny international norms, resolutions, and practice repression and abuse against freedom fighters and defenseless civilians,” in his words.

Anti-Moroccan statements were celebrated by the leader of the separatist front, which is based in part of the Algerian territory, as he praised the lectures and speeches of all the participants in this symposium, stressing what he described as “the necessity of enabling the Palestinian and Sahrawi peoples to exercise their right to self-determination,” without… He neglects to thank his benefactors in Algeria, which he said “carries the torch of advocacy for just causes in the Security Council, foremost among which are the Palestinian and Sahrawi issues, which is consistent with its ancient history and glorious revolution,” as he always puts it.

For his part, an official Palestinian source, close to the Palestine Liberation Organization, commented on these provocative statements from the representative of the Popular Front in Algeria, saying that “the Palestinians reject any division or attack on the territorial integrity of the Arab countries, including the sister Kingdom of Morocco,” stressing in a statement to Hespress newspaper. “The Moroccan Sahara is a settled issue and is not up for discussion.”

The Hespress source added, “Any statements of this kind, intended to sow discord and division between Arab peoples and countries, are completely rejected, especially at this sensitive stage in the history of the Palestinian struggle, which requires intensifying Arab efforts to support Palestine,” stressing that “this type of The statements do not serve the Palestinian cause at all, at a time when the focus must be on ensuring the unity of the Arab ranks and position to confront the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the defenseless Palestinian people.”

This is not the first time that Palestinian officials in Algeria have made provocative statements of this kind, as the former Palestinian ambassador to this country, Amin Maqbool, had previously expressed his support for “holding a referendum on self-determination in the Sahara, whether through self-rule or establishing… An independent republic.”

For his part, Jibril Rajoub, Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee, during an interview with Algerian media last year, praised the Algerian position on the Sahara issue, which calls for a “referendum,” which was rejected by the Palestinian ambassador accredited to Morocco, in a statement. He previously told Hespress, saying that “Rajoub’s statement may have been misunderstood,” stressing that his country rejects the formation of any armed organizations outside the scope of existing countries.

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the Kingdom of Morocco has expressed, at both the popular and official levels, positions of support for the struggles of the Palestinian people and their right to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders. Rabat has also taken many initiatives to support Palestine, as last month it sent relief aid. It brought it into the besieged Gaza Strip via a land route, making it the first country in the world to succeed in bringing aid through this route, in addition to allocating additional scholarships to Palestinian students in Morocco.