Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have rallied in dozens of Moroccan cities against the government’s decision to upgrade diplomatic ties with Israel to full embassies, with authorities banning some protests and making arrests.

The Moroccan Committee for Supporting the Nation’s Causes said it had organised 76 events in 45 cities on September 25 under the slogan “Friday for Al-Aqsa and against normalisation”, a figure the committee reported itself with no independent national tally of participants.

The protests followed a September 16 announcement that Morocco and Israel would elevate their diplomatic missions to embassies and appoint ambassadors for the first time since relations were restored in 2020.

Moroccan media reported gatherings in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier, Fez, Agadir, Oujda, Tetouan, Kenitra and Sale. In Rabat, protesters gathered outside Parliament, while in Marrakesh a demonstration became a march through several main streets, according to the news site Lakome.

In Tangier, local authorities banned a demonstration planned for September 27, and the outlet Achkayen reported, citing its own sources, that security forces dispersed hundreds of participants and detained more than 12 people. Lakome said authorities also blocked protests in M’diq and surrounded a gathering in Agadir to prevent it becoming a march.

The Moroccan Committee for Supporting the Nation’s Causes condemned what it described as bans, restrictions and arrests.

A deepening relationship

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed the embassy plan on September 16 at a trilateral meeting in New York hosted by US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz.

The two countries also agreed to conclude investment protection and double taxation agreements, expand direct flights and organise high-level reciprocal visits, according to the joint statement.

Morocco restored relations with Israel in December 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords framework, alongside Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

“What has changed is the political context: Normalisation is being consolidated at a time when the war in Gaza has generated unprecedented public anger and intense images of Palestinian suffering,” Kathya K Berrada, senior programmes manager at the Arab Center for Research, told Al Jazeera.

Moroccan activist Mouna Rahiani cited the latest Arab Opinion Index, which found that 89 percent of Moroccans surveyed opposed their country recognising Israel, while six percent supported it. “What we are seeing in Morocco is a growing disconnect between official diplomacy and public sentiment,” she said.

Berrada cautioned, however, that there was not enough reliable public data to establish how many Moroccans support or oppose normalisation. “It would therefore be difficult to claim that either a majority or a minority of Moroccans endorse the policy,” she said.

Elections and Western Sahara

The protests came days after parliamentary elections on September 23. The Authenticity and Modernity Party won 97 of 395 seats, followed by the National Rally of Independents with 66, Istiqlal with 65 and the Party of Justice and Development with 54. Turnout was 38.08 percent, down from 50.86 percent in 2021, according to the Ministry of Interior.

The PJD was in power when Morocco restored ties with Israel in 2020, and its prime minister at the time, Saadeddine el-Othmani, signed the trilateral declaration that December. The party has since reaffirmed its rejection of normalisation, and on September 17 its general secretariat reiterated opposition to relations and agreements with Israel. After the election, the PJD’s national council unanimously decided to remain in opposition and stay out of the next government.

The timing also matters for Morocco’s Western Sahara policy. The UN Security Council is due to consider the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, in October, with the current mandate running until October 31, 2026. The embassy announcement came against the backdrop of US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory and Israel’s support for Morocco’s position.

Ahmed, a Moroccan sociologist who asked to be identified by one name, said the September 16 move was “a continuation of the trilateral agreement of December 10, 2020”, but that Morocco should make the relationship “comprehensive, not selective or partial”.

The Security Council is expected to take up the MINURSO mandate before it expires at the end of October.