Fez - In contrast to most Moroccan institutions and Moroccans who have expressed their solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israeli shelling of Gaza, the Morocco-based Taynzert Center for Development and Dialogue has sympathized with the Israeli people and accused Hamas of terrorism.
Just a few days after tens of thousands of Moroccans staged a demonstration in Rabat denouncing Israeli war crimes in Gaza, the Amazigh Center of Taynzert for Development and Dialogue, based in the city of Guelmim, Morocco, has expressed solidarity with Israelis and denounced the “terrorist attacks of Hamas on Israeli civilians.”
In a news release, the Center said, “The Taynzert Center for Development and Dialogue follows with great interest the hateful and despicable terrorist attacks that target our brothers, the Israeli people. This systematic violence is led by the Palestinian forces of terror (Hamas), which is backed by Qatar, Iran and Turkey.”
The news release attracted the attention of Israeli media outlets. The release was republished on the Israeli website Israel In Arabic.
While Israeli forces continue their bombing of Gaza, with more than 678 fatalities and 4,250 casualties to date, the center claims that Israelis are the victims, with Palestinians firing missiles and rockets on Israeli civilians.
“The Taynzert Center for Development and Dialogue strongly condemns the massacre which is being suffered by the Israeli people on the hands of the Palestinian forces of terror and treachery. The center also condemns firing missiles and rockets on the Israeli civilians,” according to the news release.
The Amazigh Center also asserted that “the terrorist movement (Hamas) uses the Palestinian civilians as human shields.”
The press release said that the Center “calls on the Palestinian terrorist movement to stop its murderous attack on Israelis. It also urges Moroccan NGOs to declare Hamas as a terrorist movement.”
Morocco World News attempted to contact Mohamed Boughlem who was elected earlier this year as the Center’s General Coordinator to verify the story, but he declined to comment.
Moroccans have expressed shock and disbelief at the posting of the Center’s news release on the Israeli website.
Some Amazigh Moroccans have stressed that the Center does not represent mainstream Amazigh views, and point out that the center brings shame upon the Amazigh people and Morocco. Edited by Elisabeth Myers