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Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has faced criticism in Parliament over his government's response to the war in Gaza, amid calls to cancel the Mawazine music festival this year in solidarity with the Palestinian enclave.
The issue was raised by the opposition Justice and Development bloc, whose MP Abdellah Bouanou said Morocco must act “to contribute to stopping this [Gaza] genocide by any means”.
“As the head of the government of the Moroccan state, you must contribute in any way to stopping this genocide,” Mr Bouanou said on Monday, in comments directed at Mr Akhannouch. “Until now, we have not heard you talk about the issue.”
Moroccans have staged protests against the war since it began in October, with protesters urging the government to take a more proactive position and to review the 2020 pact establishing ties with Israel.
Activists have called for the Mawazine festival to be cancelled out of respect for those killed and injured in Gaza.
Campaigns have been launched on Instagram and Facebook with hashtags such as #BoycottMawazine and #DoNotDanceOnTheirWounds in a bid to stop the festival from going ahead.
Mr Bouanou urged Mr Akhannouch to “relieve us of the embarrassment that Morocco is dancing on the wounds of its Palestinian brothers”.
The Prime Minister denied that Morocco was ignoring what was happening in Gaza and said his government was taking part in efforts to stop the war.
“Moroccans do not dance to the suffering of our Palestinian brothers and are compassionate with what is happening in Gaza,” Mr Akhannouch said.
“The government is working under the leadership of His Majesty, King Mohamed VI, and as soon as I leave this session, I will head to Amman to attend a meeting on Gaza.”
Fatima Ezzahra Bouraymi, a university student in Casablanca, said she was shocked the Mawazine Festival was set to go ahead.
“It does not make sense for a festival to take place while our brothers and sisters are dying. It is an embarrassment,” she told The National.
Mawazine draws some of music's biggest performers. After being suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival returns this year with a line-up that includes Mohamed Ramadan, Haifa Wehbe, Kylie Minogue and Calvin Harris.
“If Mawazine is to take place, it needs to bring artists that support Palestine and who will carry the Palestinian flag. We do not want big artists such as Nicki Minaj or Beyonce who have never spoken up against the war," Ms Bouraymi added.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
