Palestinian Minister Castigated over Moroccan Sahara Statement

The Moroccan Association in Support of Palestine strongly condemned, in a statement, the irresponsible and hostile position on the Moroccan Sahara, made by Palestinian Minister of Youth and Sports, and Fatah Party’s member Jibril Rajoub to Algerian daily “Assabah”.
The Palestinian Minister, who is also head of the Palestine Olympic Committee, broke all International conventions and Olympic principles by promoting the separatism thesis that undermines Morocco’s territorial integrity and expressing support for the proposition of “a referendum”, said the statement.
Rajoub, who seems to confuse politics and sports, forgot that the Moroccan people fought hard to liberate their Sahara from the Spanish occupation since 1884, and same applies to the Palestinian people who have been resisting Israel’s occupation since 1947.
The association contacted immediately the Palestinian Ambassador to Morocco Jamal Al Shobaki about this debacle, and he assured that the Minister’s position does not reflect the Palestinian Authority’s stance, especially the referendum solution which has never been supported by Palestinian leaders.
The association had slammed, on several occasions, similar positions expressed by Palestinian ambassadors accredited to Algeria, recalling that Morocco has always equated its national cause with the Palestinian one.
In this regard, the Moroccan association urged the Palestinian Authority to clarify its position over the Moroccan Sahara and to get off the grey zone as did many Arab, African, US and European countries.
The statement recalled that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has always lauded the political and diplomatic support provided by King Mohammed VI, chairman of the Al Quds Committee, as well as the financial assistance by Bait Mal Al Quds Asharif.
Morocco has condemned the recent criminal attacks by the Israeli military on the Palestinians living in the Jenin camp in the West Bank, and it expects reciprocity.