Idriss Boano resigned on Friday evening Rabat – Rachid Bougha Idriss Boano resigned on Friday evening from his post as an administrator for the international relations committee of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) over his hosting of the Israeli activist Ofer Branstein, while the party’s newspaper El Tagdeed denied Meshaal shook hands with the former adviser to Yitzhak Rabin.
Sources within the Islamic ruling party confirmed that the "normalisation" issue was tackled at its conference entitled "People want the liberation of Palestine.”
Boano sent his resignation to the leadership of the party saying that his resignation over the guest was linked to a fierce media campaign being waged against the party. In a statement, Boano said that the preparatory committee for the conference was responsible for inviting guests, adding: "I decided to resign from all the party's committees as soon as an independent side proved that the preparatory committee for the conference is directly responsible for this mistake.” At the end of his resignation statement, he also apologised to all members of his party and all members of Moroccan society.
The National Group in support of Iraq and Palestine denounced the invitation of Zionist Ofer Branstein to the seventh conference of the Justice and Development Party entitled People want the liberation of Palestine".
In a statement seen by Arabstoday, the group said it was astonished by the invitation from a party which has always been defined by its rejection of all forms of normalisation.
The El Tagdeed newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Justice and Development Party, refuted a statement made by Hamas which said the movement's leader, Khaled Meshaal, did not meet with the Israeli activist, who is known for his progressive support of the Palestinian cause. It quoted sources who attended the ceremony as saying that Ofer Branstein shook hands with Khaled Meshaal. This report was also confirmed by the Assaba newspaper who said that Meshaal shook hands with the Israeli activist during a dinner at the house of Abdul Karim Khatib, founder of the party, confirming the presence of an Israeli activist, head of International Forum for Peace, among the guests at the Justice and Development Party conference.
In a separate context, the newspaper Al Masaa stated that Khaled Meshaal was asked about his opinion on the massacres being carried out by the Syrian regime to which he replied that he didn't want to go into details: ."we do not interfere in the affairs of Arab states" he said, adding: “ We are concerned about the bloodshed and suffering, and the unstable situation in Syria or any other Arab country. I hope for an end to the bloodshed of the Syrian people, and hope their demands are met, and for Syria to get out of this bloodbath. Syria is dear to us and to every Arab Muslim.”