Cultural and spiritual relations between Morocco and Palestine go back many centuries. This is evident in the descriptions made by hajj pilgrims and travelers, who depict their journeys through Jerusalem and their interactions with Palestinians, such as the description given by ibn Othman Al-Maknassi, the ambassador of Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah in the 18th century. These trips to the Hijaz (Mecca and Medina) encompassed areas such as Istanbul, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Levant via Palestine.
Travelers like Al-Maknassi and Al-Zayani would visit the remotest locations of a region. Accordingly, their perceptions were entirely those of strangers and visitors and included many details that the local people often missed and took for granted, despite their importance. For example, Al-Maknassi gives us an exceptionally detailed description of Jerusalem and its neighboring villages, describing every mosque in both Jerusalem and these villages, and most importantly, Al-Aqsa Mosque. He shares with us his interactions with Palestinian scholars and the everyday inhabitants of Palestine, describing their customs and beliefs and the pace of their everyday life. Moreover, we learn of his conversations with them on religious issues and the topography of Palestine, including trees as well as agricultural and trade practices.
Morocco is linked to Palestine through waqf (religious endowments) in Jerusalem. In addition, some of the neighborhoods in Jerusalem have Moroccan names as well as some city gates, such as the ‘Moroccan Gate.’
Moroccans preserved their relationship with the Palestinians thanks to the passage of hajj caravans from Jerusalem and Palestine which offered the Moroccans an opportunity to stay in touch with Palestinian scholars through the ages. Perhaps the special place Al-Aqsa Mosque has in the hearts of Muslim Moroccans increased and became established in this manner.
Moroccans continued to send delegations of pilgrims annually during the era of the Spanish protectorate in Northern Morocco and the Sahara from 1912 until 1956. The Sultan would appoint a deputy to represent him in the Protectorate within the parameters enforced by European countries upon Morocco in the Algeciras Conference of 1906.
In the 1940s, the Khalifa who represented the Sultan was his Eminence Al-Hassan Ben Al-Mahdi, a man who maintained good ties with Palestine. Below, I discuss his role in supporting Palestinian relations.
We do not know much about the national and patriotic role of the Sultan’s Khalifa under Spanish protection in Northern Morocco and the Sahara; instead, this paper will address the relationship between the Khalifa and the Arab League, and the collaboration between the Khalifa and the League in the fight for Moroccan and Palestinian freedom.
First, the Khalifa sent an official delegation to the cultural division of the Arab League in 1946, headed by the late, martyred M’Hammad Ahmad Benaboud. The most important mission of this delegation was the defense of Morocco’s independence and the fight against Franco-Spanish colonialism in the country.
Second, the Khalifa’s representative in the Arab League coordinated activities with Arab nationals, with the intent of defending all nationalist issues across the Arab world, including the Palestinian question alongside Moroccan independence.
Third, the Palestinian question was of primary focus, especially after the developments of 1948, drawing together all Arab representatives in the Arab League in solidarity with Palestine, as well as highlighting the question of Moroccan independence.
The Khalifa’s representative in the Arab League worked closely with the Khalifa himself, sending details of his political activities to Ahmad Ben Al-Basheer, the head of the Khalifa’s Diwan; Abdel Khaleq Al-Torres, the head of the Nationalist Reform Party in Tetouan; and Al-Tayeb Benouna, the party’s general secretary.
Fourth, due to the synchronicity between Cairo and Tetouan, the Palestinian question acquired a special status for his Eminence, Al-Hassan Ben Al-Mehdi, and the leaders of the nationalist movement in Tetouan.
Fifth, the Khalifa did not merely express solidarity with Palestine; he actively engaged in fundraising campaigns for the Palestinian people.
Sixth, the support shown by the Khalifa had both a national-political dimension and a religious one, the latter due to the status of Al-Aqsa mosque for Muslims, as well as an ancient tradition of holding charitable endowments in Jerusalem. Moreover, the Khalifa personally oversaw religious expeditions from Tetouan to Al Aqsa mosque,
Seventh, the Khalifa supported the Palestinian cause by coordinating—via the head of his delegation in the Arab League in Cairo—with Palestinian personages prominent in journalism and politics. These included the journalist Ali Taher, who was in direct contact with the Moroccan patriots in the Middle East. Moreover, the head of the Khalifa’s delegation maintained contact with a number of Arab leaders, including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Al-Amin Al-Husseiny.
Eighth, Khalifa Ben Al-Mahdi himself declared his solidarity with the Palestinian cause in a document found in the Abu Bakr Benouna archives in Tetouan, written by his Eminence in 1948. The following is the text in which he openly expresses his support for Palestine, on behalf of the Moroccan people, defending the cause as one that is humanitarian, patriotic, and religious:
To that saintly land in the Arab East, our eyes are fixed upon you, and in this specific moment in time, the whole world turns its gaze to you. And in that pure spot, where the rock[1] and its surroundings were blessed by Allah, the souls of the righteous fighters hover, those who were resolute in strength, sacrificing themselves so that nothing would fall upon these territories or flutter in their skies save one banner: the banner of Arabs and Islam.
Palestine never knew ease and safety until it came under the banner of the Quran, where it came to live blissfully within Arabism for centuries. Before that, it merely existed in days of darkness upon darkness, stormed by Romans who humiliated it, Persians who destroyed its houses and Byzantines who made it beg.
A grave problem has befallen Palestine, especially since the Security Council’s well-known intervention. There are major powers who wish to offer it to Zionism, while other nations may applaud Arabs but not their nationalism, and only God knows what outcomes await and how the Rhodes Conference will end.
For Moroccans and those in the Middle East, the Palestinian question is a sensitive and pivotal issue in their history and their lives, for upon it hinges the fate of Arabs. We hear Arabs cry out at the injustices, we see monarchs, governments, people, and tribes doing their utmost to return the rights of those who have been denied them and to usher in safety before it is too late.
Allah Almighty has granted Palestine, the land of the first qibla[2] in Islam, those who are ready to protect it from enemies and to repel its every drastic affliction. He blessed Palestine with our heroic brothers, their majesties, the kings of Arabs; their excellencies, the heads of state; and their royal highnesses, the princes of Arab lands, to return security to the hearts of the Palestinian people, to scream in the faces of tyrants whose trickery has been exposed. Now they must leave artillery and aircraft to speak, especially after the people have endured insurmountable suffering at the hands of world Zionism. Now they must return peace to the land of peace, to the land of the Divine Night Journey[3], to the birthplace of Jesus, peace be upon him.
On this occasion, we announce publicly that we stand with our brothers, the great Arab monarchs, in their war against Zionism. We support them with our hearts and whatever resources we may possess until Allah grants us victory; we are manifestly triumphant, and with Allah all things are possible.
I would like to urge our people to exert every effort and offer every resource, and to take part in writing the history of our blessed Prophet Mohamed’s Umma, peace be upon him. At this point I reiterate what his majesty King Nasralla said to the dear Moroccan people: cling to quiet goals and leave matters in the hands of your leaders as this is most befitting to the success we seek; may Allah support us in goodness and fulfillment.
Moreover, I alert the Jews of this good region, who are under our jurisdiction and encompassed by our authority, to remain calm and to steer clear of activities that might disrupt the peace. I ask them to abandon the ideas of Zionists, those who scorn Arabs and have shown only ingratitude towards the very people who sheltered them and offered them a safe haven.
I conclude by praying to Allah that the efforts of our dear cousin, his Majesty King Abdallah the Hashemite, are triumphant during his gracious visits to Cairo, Riyadh, and Baghdad.
I commence discussing this topic with the support of new documents, including M’Hammad Ahmad Benaboud’s Cairo correspondence with a number of leading figures in Tetouan, including the Khalifa himself. I will also present another source, the archive of General Barella, the resident general at the time.
Khalifa Al-Hassan Ben Al-Mahdi upheld strong relations with Palestine. The Palestinian issue was of prime importance to him, and he remained steadfast in his belief in the Palestinian right to independence. He also expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people by launching a fundraising campaign in Tetouan, encouraging the residents of the province to show the same solidarity.
Ninth, the importance of documentation is clearly evident in this paper, in which I have depended on the use of three sources for the very first time. The first of these sources is the correspondence of M’Hammad Ahmad Benaboud with a number of popular leaders of Tetouan from 1946 to 1949. In this correspondence, made while he was the head of the Khalifa’s delegation in the Arab League, he discusses both the Palestinian question and Moroccan solidarity.
As for the second source, I have relied on the archive of the National Reform Party in Tetouan. The scholar Al-Tayeb Benouna preserved these documents, which were then passed down to Abou Bakr Benouna in Tetouan.
The third source is the archive of General Barella, the Spanish resident general from 1945 to 1951. These documents are now in Qadis in Spain.
Through Benaboud, the head of the Arab League delegation, the Khalifa was able to sustain his support for Palestine. Benaboud communicated with the Khalifa via his chamberlain Ahmad Ben Al-Basheer, sending detailed reports about the developments in Palestine, including specific details about the 1948 war.
We can better understand this situation by examining the correspondence sent by Benaboud from Cairo, not only to the Khalifa but also to Moroccan nationalists in Tetouan. In these letters, Benaboud focused foremost on defending Morocco’s independence but also expressed his solidarity with Arabs alongside Moroccans in the quest to liberate all parts of the Arab and Muslim world, hence his solidarity with Palestine.
Benaboud noticed that the League in the 1940s made Palestine one of its priorities; accordingly, he believed that the countries that formed the League would also support the Moroccan quest for independence as soon as a solution for Palestine was found. This entailed that all the efforts of Moroccan nationalists in Cairo in the 1940s moved in alignment with efforts for Palestine, hence the importance of solidarity for the latter. As previously mentioned, Benaboud would contact noteworthy Palestinian figures, like the journalist Ali Taher, and the Mufti of Al Aqsa Mosque himself.
I will present a number of references from Benaboud’s correspondence that illustrate his plan to propose the Moroccan question of independence, as well as the Palestinian issue, before the Arab League. When Benaboud spoke, he spoke in his capacity as head of the cultural delegation appointed by the Khalifa to the Arab League in 1946, a role he maintained until his tragic death in late 1949.
Benaboud played an important part in establishing the Moroccan headquarters in Cairo from 1947 until 1949, holding two posts. He consistently upheld his solidarity in statements and published articles on behalf of the Khalifa who in turn represented the Sultan Mohamed Ben Yusuf in the Spanish protectorate of Northwest Morocco and the Sahara. Benaboud stressed the importance of coordinating national work with the Khalifa in many of his correspondences to nationalist leaders in Tetouan, such as Abdelkhalek Torres, the head of the National Reform Party, and Tayeb Benouna, his general secretary. Therefore, we can say that the Khalifa took a patriotic standpoint similar to that of the Sultan.
The Khalifa received precise and specific details of the developments in Palestine thanks to the head of his Diwan, Ahmad Ben Al-Basheer Al-Haskouri, who was responsible for contacting Benaboud through the cultural board of the Arab League, providing him with moral, political, and financial support.
Benaboud arranged his political agenda in Cairo with members of the National Reform Party. He worked on unifying his standpoint with his Eminence, the Khalifa, on one side and with the party leaders on the other, starting with Abdelkhalek Torres, the head of the party, Al-Tayeb Benouna, the secretary general of the party, and his brother Al-Mahdi Benouna.
We can trace the path of Benaboud through his Palestinian correspondence as follows:
1. He was in touch with Palestinian journalists in Cairo, such as Ali Taher. Moreover, he traveled to the Levant to convince governments of the region to defend the Moroccan cause for independence. He proposed the national Moroccan question in international organizations such as the Arab League as one of the issues discussed by the League, and among these issues was also that of Palestine.
2. He discussed Morocco’s stance on the Arab question, inclusive of Palestine, in a letter sent to Al-Tayeb Benouna, dated October 1946: “And on this occasion, I inform you that I am steadfast in my intention to travel to Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and East Jordan on October 9 to agree with these countries’ governments on presenting our issue to the United Nations, which is meeting on October 24, when we will present the Spanish issue.”[4]
In a letter sent to Al-Medhi Benouna dated April 22, 1948, regarding the developments around the Palestinian issue, he writes “At this time, I confirm to you that if circumstances are not currently suitable, it is because the Palestinian issue has entered a critical stage.”[5] In the letter dated May 11, 1948, to Al-Tayeb Benouna discussing French propaganda against Morocco and Palestine and the resistance movement to counter it, he writes:
We have been made aware of France’s propaganda campaign against the League due to the terrible situation for Arabs in Palestine. Undoubtedly, you are taking the necessary precautions to prevent dire outcomes. If the League had offered Morocco the same political efforts and funding that it offered Palestine, Morocco would certainly have worked wonders.[6]
Benaboud organized the different Arab causes in a plan of action for the Arab League, inclusive of the Moroccan and Palestinian questions, in a letter dated May 18, 1948: “As you can see, the Palestinian issue has entered a critical stage; after this, the Arab nations will turn to Morocco…[7] Due to the current situation in Palestine, we are focused on organizing our headquarters and shaping society in preparation for what may happen after summer.”[8] In a letter to Torres dated July 27, 1948, he enquires about the funds raised in Tetouan in support of Palestine: “I have heard that a committee has been formed in Tetouan to collect donations for the Palestinians and that the task has been highly successful.”[9] Benaboud contacted important political figures in Cairo to follow the latest military developments in Palestine, as seen in this letter dated August 3, 1948: “I met with Azam Pasha for two hours. He explained the military situation in Palestine and Arab politics in general. I will send you a report on the whole matter.” He tells Torres in a letter dated July 25, 1949:
… more importantly, I am pleased to inform you that the mood here is enabling us in unprecedented ways, for the uproar of Palestine has subsided, and higher political circles no longer take up space. Moreover, the newspapers have noticed this void and have been scrambling to fill it. In addition, after many nations took their known stance from Egypt, it began to turn to the African project.[10]
In this letter, dated October 4, 1949, Benaboud informs Al-Tayeb of his efforts in organizing plans between citizens in Cairo and the Khalifa in Tetouan:
I understand from your message that the atmosphere is once again suitable to reinforce ties with his Eminence the Khalifa. I depend on your patience, diplomacy, and loyalty in work to unite and unify the ranks and strengthen our outpost as our region experiences dangerous circumstances…After it officially enters the League, I will take advantage of the Spanish hand-over of donations collected in the region for King Abdallah. Accordingly, please send me details as soon as the King receives this money.[11]
Khalifa Ben Al-Mahdi regularly showed his support for Palestine, such as his overseeing a fundraising campaign for those stricken by the Nakba of 1948. The Khalifa launched an official campaign in the Caliphate to raise such funds. The campaign had both humanitarian and nationalist aims. What is interesting is the way he arranged the campaign. This may be summarized as follows:
First, he visited Mohamed Taher Al-Fetyani, the representative of the central commission for disaster relief for Palestinians in Tetouan, with a personal invitation from ‘Khalifa Ben Al Mehdi.’ He collected donations from him and sent them to Palestine. Second, Al-Fetyani asked the Khalifa for a visit to the countryside. The Khalifa, in turn, offered him his private car, so Al-Fetyani could visit Ketama, Al-Hoceima, and Nador in the company of M’Hammad Ezayman, and Al-Tayeb Benouna of the National Reform Party. Third, Al-Fetyani, along with Al-Tayeb Benouna and M’Hammad Ezayman, participated in many demonstrations and oratory galas to show that the Moroccan people were in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
The following is a description of an excursion of the Khalifa’s delegation, accompanied by the Palestinian envoy to Melilla, detailed in a report in the archive of Abu Bakr Benouna:
On Sunday morning, the group headed to the port of Melilla. They reached the port at noon after they made their way through Nador. News of their arrival spread, so dignitaries and leaders came to greet and welcome them and surprise them with an invitation to attend a grand religious celebration held the same day in Farkhana in the prayer nook of the devout and honorable Sheikh Sidi Mhammad Ben Al Hajj Ben Al-Taher.
Thousands of Muslims were in attendance from the surrounding countryside tribes. The gentlemen accepted the invitation, the gathering was joyful, and the people were delighted with their honorable guests. Al-Fetyani and Benouna were requested to tell the audience in a patriotic speech about the Palestinian issue. An announcement was made in this great festival for people to gather, and in a matter of minutes, thousands of Muslims from many different brave rural tribes sat, still as rocks, ready to listen in awe and silence. And on a hill, the leaders stood, and the Sheikh came forward and commenced with a good, blessed speech, addressing the assembly with bold, articulate words. He introduced the guests and the importance of this meeting. He was followed by a member of the High Committee of Education, the great patriot Mr. Mhammad Al-Sanhajy, who introduced himself and the speakers. Then he introduced the secretary of the party, Al-Tayeb Benouna, who gave an impromptu speech that was patriotic, sincere, and full of sublime principles. It was a speech that set ablaze a zeal and passion in the hearts of listeners, enlightening the rural populace to the truth of nationalism and reformist media until the people wept hot tears and the Muslims chanted “God is Great!”. Then the congregation hailed Islam and patriotism and Morocco and his Eminence the great Khalifa, whom the people heard about as if for the first time, as words of glory and greatness were spoken, words unknown to them because they live in remote parts away from the cities and the gatherings of significant nationalist speeches. Then, the honorable Al-Fetyani came forward and presented a speech of overflowing eloquence; details upon details—words and stories and rulings from the Quran, and warnings from the Prophet, until hearts radiated pure Islamic light that permeated their beings with true empathy and motivation towards Palestine and the Holy Land and its people. Very soon, the gathered Muslims wished they, too, could sacrifice and strive for the sanctity of Jerusalem. They approached him, individually and in many groups, asking for a means to join the freedom fighters and to offer themselves in the name of Allah. And, despite the fact that those present participated in general donations collected for the destitute Palestinians, the sermons awoke in them a collective spirit of chivalry and sacrifice so that young and old, both rich and poor, came forth to empty their pockets of money for the cause of God and in less than five minutes almost 2,000 pesetas were collected.
After the Maghreb [the nightfall prayer] and after a Quranic recitation, the guests were served magnificent food. They had their dinner and bade the abundant crowds farewell, full of motivation, and rode their cars back to Melilla.
Fourth, the head of the Khalifa’s Diwan, Ahmad Ben Al-Basheer, played a major role in executing this trip by launching a massive advertising campaign to publicize it in the north and east of Morocco through communications with M’Hammad Ahmad Benaboud of the Arab League.
Finally, below is a statement by Al-Fetyani where he expresses his feelings before returning to Palestine and explicitly emphasizes the solidarity between the nationalist movement in Northern Morocco and the resistance:
I do not wish to drag on or embellish my words; my repressed emotions betray me, and my feelings follow suit. My tears are enough; I send them in plenty, in sadness at having to leave you behind, and they heal my heart from the pain of separation. I thank you for the good deeds you have offered before God and His prophet. May Allah bring victory to Palestine or a decree of his choosing. On that day, the believers will rejoice in the victory that God has granted. The hearts of brothers in Palestine and Morocco will meet in the houses of faith, altogether united in God’s grace and bounty, grateful for His manifest blessings of victory and support.
Your Palestine, as it has always pledged, is a patient warrior. The blood of her sons gushes onto the lips of gazelles in the wide meadows until the soil of the sacred homeland is quenched. Her warriors remain silent, never uttering a word. They have no haven or protection except their swords and their faith. They shoulder the weight of pervasive death, pushing through it toward the enemy without care.
That is how they were and how they will continue to be, unchanged, not caring if they overcome death or if death overcomes them.
Finally, to his Eminence, the ruler of the lands, the great Khalifa, I offer my allegiance, and I present the sincere thanks and gratitude of Palestine to the men of Morocco; to the leading body and its different parties; to its seniors and its youth. I bid him farewell with a speaking heart and unspoken pain and confess to all that my tongue is tied and unable to voice its thanks. These trembling words are the least I can offer to show my gratitude.
I leave Palestine in God‘s hands. It is my hope that you do not forget its holy sites, for your honor lies therein. Until we meet again, my chivalrous, dignified patriots.
Remember us as we remember you. Perhaps such remembrance will bring our displaced ones closer.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be with you all.
Translated from Arabic by Ibrahim Sayed Fawzi
The citation for the original version of this text is as follows:
Benaboud, M’hammad. “mawlāy al-hasan ben al-mahdi khalifat al-sultān fī shamāl al-maghrib wa al-sahrā’ wa al-qadiya al-falasṭīniya.” In al-nadwa al-fikriyah al-magharibiyah al-filisṭīniyah: dawr al-magharibiyīn fī da‘m nidhālāt filisṭīn, al-mandūbiya al-sāmiya li-kudama’ al-muqāwimīn wa a‘da’ jaysh al-tahrīr, ed. 49-62. Al-rabāṭ: manshūrāt al-mandūbiya al-sāmiya li-kudama’ al-muqāwimīn wa a‘da’ jaysh al-tahrīr, 2019.