• The protesters in Tangier also called for the severing of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel, which were normalized in 2020 as part of the US-led Abraham Accords

TANGIERS, Morocco: More than 1,000 people protested in the Moroccan port city of Tangier on Sunday against the planned docking of a ship said to be carrying fighter jet parts to Israel.

Dockworkers and organizations supporting Palestinians in Gaza said in separate statements that the Maersk vessel was transporting spare parts for F-35 warplanes from the United States to Israel, and was due to dock in Tangier on Sunday.

A crowd of around 1,500 people chanted, “The people want the ship banned,” and “No genocidal weapons in Moroccan waters” as they marched down a road alongside the Tanger Med container port, according to AFP correspondents at the scene.

Contacted by AFP, port authorities and Maersk did not comment on the vessel.

The Danish company has said it does not transport weapons or ammunition to conflict zones, though it has a contract with the US government and has previously acknowledged shipments that “contain military-related equipment” derived from “US-Israeli security cooperation.”

The protesters in Tangier also called for the severing of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel, which were normalized in 2020 as part of the US-led Abraham Accords.

There have been several large-scale demonstrations in Morocco demanding ties with Israel be cut since the start of its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The North African kingdom has officially called for “the immediate, complete and permanent halt to the Israeli war on Gaza,” but has not publicly discussed reversing normalization.

AFP