In the latest edition of Tel Aviv Notes, Tiziana della Ragione explores the politics of the Party for Justice and Development's reaction to Morocco's normalization with Israel.
March 16, 2021 at 10:50 am
Morocco s Abdelilah Benkirane has recently announced that he is freezing his membership of the Justice and Development Party in protest against the government s adoption of a bill to legalise the use of cannabis for medical purposes. He is a former secretary general of the party, so it is a significant move.
The Justice and Development Party is the main Islamic party in Morocco and has been leading coalition governments since 2012. After almost a decade in power, the party has recorded few achievements on the political, economic and security fronts.
Prior to Benkirane s decision, Sheikh Abou Zayd Al-Mokri Al-Idrissi had also announced that he was freezing his membership of the party, and Idris Al-Azmi resigned as head of its National Council. Many senior officials and members of the party have criticised its policies, mainly those introduced by its current Secretary General, Saadeddine Othmani, in his capacity as prime minister, including his signing o