PJD declared-vs-behavioral divergence on Israel normalization: the party's historic anti-normalization stance (incl. a 2013 bill to ban any ties) vs its acquiescence in power to King Mohammed VI's December 2020 normalization with Israel — signed by PJD secretary-general/PM Saadeddine El Othmani. Documented by the Moshe Dayan Center (Tel Aviv University); royal-prerogative context noted.

It has historically opposed normalization with Israel; in August 2013, together with other parties, the PJD submitted a bill that would have banned any relations between Morocco and Israel.

the Party for Justice and Development (PJD), the Moroccan Islamist ruling party, has faced criticism for its acquiescence to the Palace’s decision. By aligning itself with King Mohammed VI’s decision to normalize with Israel, the PJD has shown that it is more interested in preserving its good relations with the Palace and winning the King’s support for its domestic agenda of socio-economic reforms, than in taking a hard line on Palestine.

[Source is in English; this field holds editorial context, not a translation.] Behavioral conduct-axis record of the PJD (Justice and Development Party, Morocco) on palestinian-question / west-alignment / democracy, capturing a sharp divergence from its declared position. DECLARED: the Palestinian cause has historically been a top PJD priority; at the September 2020 UN General Assembly PM/PJD leader Saadeddine El Othmani reiterated support for a Palestinian state, and in 1996 he had described normalization with Israel as "civilizational genocide"; in 2013 the PJD co-sponsored a bill to ban any relations with Israel. BEHAVIORAL: in power, the PJD acquiesced to King Mohammed VI's December 2020 decision to normalize with Israel — its own secretary-general/PM El Othmani signed the normalization accord on 22 December 2020 (part of the Abraham Accords, brokered with Jared Kushner and Israeli NSA Meir Ben-Shabbat, in exchange for US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara). HONEST CONTEXT: Moroccan foreign policy is a royal prerogative, the elected government was not part of the decision, and "it would have been difficult for Othmani to publicly oppose the King's decision"; El Othmani later (2022) called the handshake with Israeli officials "painful," attributing it to state pressure. FALLOUT: the PJD was crushed in the September 2021 elections (13 seats, down from 125), and former SG Benkirane returned as party chief calling the deal "a mistake." [Axes: palestinian-question, west-alignment, democracy (subordination to the monarchy), pan-arab.]