MOROCCO may not realise it but by inviting Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Rabat on Wednesday, it has given Zionist settler colonialism some Casablanca fame.
Morocco is making a mistake. So have the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. Hosting Zionist leaders who have not given up on their "Greater Israel" dream on Arab soil is tantamount to celebrating Palestinian persecution.
True, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita did slip in some words on the need for a two-state solution. But Bourita shouldn't blame the Palestinians and others who are fighting for their cause for thinking the words to be perfunctory.
Morocco must know that as it celebrates the visit of Lapid, and as the Israeli and Bahraini officials scuba dive together, innocent Palestinians who are fighting to keep their land are being killed.
By the way, scuba diving with the foe never brought peace anywhere in the world, let alone the Middle East. All the three branches of the Zionist regime — the legislature, the judiciary and the executive — are united in the Zionists' dream of making an Israel out of all Palestine.
The Palestinians are right to slam the Arab countries which are cozying up to the Zionist regime for perpetuating their persecution. Peace will not come to the Middle East so long as Israeli settler colonialism is not put an end to.
Settler colonialism is an old wound for the Palestinians. It dates back further than 1948, when Israel was illegally created out of Palestine with the devious help of Britain and the United States.
Their rogue hands are behind the new deal, too. For the longest time, Israel has seized Palestinian land to erect settlements to house Jewish settlers from abroad. East Jerusalem is being robbed this way, and so is the West Bank.
This despite the countless United Nations resolutions condemning Israel on the illegality of the settlements. And despite, too, the International Court of Justice ruling Israel's annexation of Palestinian land illegal in 2004.
The Zionist regime of Israel isn't too bothered about international law because it has similarly disposed US and allies on its side. To these rogue states, international law that is on the side of justice is an aberration that must be ignored.
And so it has been after all these years.
Only global action can stop the Zionist regime from ignoring international law. Global action means the world must come together as one to say "no" to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Here, Arab nations could have led by example by insisting on Israel to do three things before normalising relations.
First, Israel must withdraw from all Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967. Second, Israel must agree to the creation of an independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Finally, Israel must agree to the return of Palestinian refugees. If the Arabs are not united behind their fellowmen, whom the Palestinians are, how can we expect others to rally behind them?
It is not too late for Morocco, the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan to make the three things a precondition for the normalisation of ties.
Like they did before, but abandoned for some befuddling reason. Besides, this is a good way to expose Israel's real intent: the isolation of Palestinians.
The Arab four should have prevented this from happening, not help to make it happen.
