RABAT - Moroccan political parties canceled planned meetings with Israelis in the technological and cultural fields on Thursday, in light of the shooting of Palestinian journalist Nasreen Abu Akleh the previous day.
The culture and tech delegation of about 20 Israelis was brought to Morocco by the NGO Sharaka, which aims to encourage people-to-people connections between Israelis and Abraham Accords country.
The group was scheduled to tour both houses of the Moroccan Parliament in Rabat on Thursday morning and to meet with representatives of Moroccan political parties, including legislators.
However, the political parties canceled the meetings early Thursday, citing poor optics following the shooting of the Palestinian journalist.
The killing of the renowned journalist, who reported on Palestinian affairs for Al-Jazeera for 25 years, made waves throughout the Arab world.
Abu Akleh was shot in the head while reporting on an IDF raid on Jenin on Wednesday. While the Palestinian Authority and Abu Akleh’s colleagues said Israel shot her, the PA forensic doctor on the case, Rayan Al-Ali, said he was yet unable to determine who was responsible. The IDF said its snipers did not shoot at the scene.
Israel has called for a joint investigation with the Palestinians, but the latter refused. The US has encouraged the sides to work together.
State Department Ned Price called for an “immediate and thorough” probe of the death of the reporter, who was also a US citizen, and for “those responsible [to] be held accountable.”
