Hamas chief set to visit Morocco Wednesday

RABAT, Morocco

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh is set to arrive in Morocco on Wednesday for his first visit to the North African country upon an invitation from the ruling Justice and Development Party (PJD), according to a party source.

“Haniyeh will stay for several days in the kingdom,” the source told Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Haniyeh’s visit comes a few months after Morocco normalized relations with Israel in 2020, following the suit of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

Israel opened a liaison office in Rabat in 1994 after the signing of the Oslo accord between Tel Aviv and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, but the office was closed in 2000 following the eruption of the second Palestinian intifada.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara