Morocco’s former PM blasts Macron’s comments on Palestinian fighters

Former Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkiranehas sharply criticized recent comments by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Palestinian fighters, as reported by Middle East Monitor citingAnadolu Agency.

In a speech to Morocco’s parliament on Tuesday, Macron described the Palestinian resistance as "barbaric" and blamed it for the October 7 attack in Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths. He supported Israel’s right to defend itself, while also acknowledging the tragic number of casualties in Gaza as unjustifiable.

In response, Benkirane, now the leader of Morocco’s opposition Justice and Development Party, wrote an open letter condemning Macron’s statements.

“Hamas and all Palestinian factions are resistance movements against Israeli colonialism, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide,” he stated.

He added that “the barbaric actions by Israel [in Gaza] did not begin on October 7, 2023, but have continued without pause for over 76 years.”

Morocco, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 in exchange for U.S. recognition of its claim over Western Sahara, has recently seen large protests from Palestinian supporters in response to the Gaza conflict and Morocco’s closer ties with Israel.