Mohamed Envy
This is what he told us, with fake and malicious naivety, the well-known Palestinian-British writer and journalist, “The General” Abd al-Bari Atwan (the title of the general was given to him by a Moroccan journalist, during the period when he was close to the country), or Abdou al-Dollar, as one of the activists called him. The Moroccans, while responding to his recent media outing about Israel’s recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara; That outburst in which he attacked Morocco with his usual populist style and false revolutionary rhetoric.
We may understand the reasons for the anger of Abd al-Bari Atwan, the son of a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, and appreciate his psychological state and emotional brokenness, and he believes that the dream of throwing Israel into the sea has completely evaporated, and the entity that Britain planted (his home and his current homeland) in the Palestinian lands that were under Its control during the period of mandate or occupation, it makes no difference, has become an economic, military, technological and digital power… in the Middle East, a thousand accounts are reckoned with at the level of international relations.
And since politics is the art of the possible, and that inter-international relations are based on mutual interests, it is only natural that some Arab and non-Arab countries that adopt realistic politics, and not dreamy, delusional, false politics… favor logic and think about their interests, thus seeking to benefit from the experience of these countries. the state in the agricultural, military, technological and other fields; Especially since the opposition, the political and ideological bidding, and the threats of war, did not serve the Palestinian cause. On the contrary, it served the occupier, expanding the land, and complicating the situation, making the solution difficult.
Abdel Bari Atwan, like all those who traffic in major issues (the Palestinian cause, the human rights issue, and other issues), chose the populist discourse in his approach to Arab issues, especially the Palestinian issue. So what does he offer to this issue, being the son of Palestine and holding the nationality of the original occupied country (we mean Britain), other than slogans and bidding? His words and the words of his ilk are fanfare without flour. Is the goal, is to polish the personal image of the Arab peoples who believe in the cause?
We, here, do not accuse him of his patriotism, and we do not doubt the sincerity of his feelings towards his country of origin, which is suffering from occupation, but we blame him and admonish him for sticking his nose in our internal affairs, we Moroccans. By what right does he interfere in our country’s relations with Israel, as long as these relations are not established at the expense of the Palestinian cause? The official Morocco believes in the justice of the cause. Just as he does not make any concessions to Israel regarding it, he also does not seek to make it a commercial asset to bargain with and exploit for his own benefit, as some unfortunately do. Why, then, is Israel’s recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara “General” Atwan harmful? There is no doubt that it is a secret. Is it greed (to appease Algeria’s “capitals” by attacking official and popular Morocco for a handful of dollars)? Or is it selfishness? He wants the Moroccans to give up their first cause to please her. What a sick and abhorrent selfishness!!!
Atwan and his ilk must know that they are insulting their cause when they weaken before the glitter of the dollar or the echo of resonant slogans. With their populist speeches biased towards the Algerian military regime, they are pushing Moroccans to adopt the slogan “Taza before Gaza,” even though the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI, places the Palestinian issue at the level of the first national issue (territorial unity). As long as the likes of Atwan, Najib Rajoub and others insult Moroccan sovereignty and involve themselves in what does not concern them, they will not find from the Moroccans anything but what does not satisfy them. The people of this country do not tolerate anyone who does not respect the territorial integrity and Moroccan national unity. the sovereignty of their country is above all considerations; Anyone who tries to offend Morocco’s history, civilization and institutions will receive the response he deserves.
Abdel Bari Atwan has not stopped squawking and squawking since former US President Donald Trump recognized the Moroccanness of the Sahara. At times, he belittled that confession, claiming that it was just a tweet on “Twitter”, which could not acquire a legal status, especially since it came during the last days of “Trump” in the White House. And at other times, he is self-righteous, like the mouthpieces of the Algerian regime, with the new president of the United States of America, “Joe Biden,” retracting from “Trump’s” decision.
It is not surprising; The paid trumpets, whether at home or abroad, must make noise, to justify the money being lavished on them from the state treasury at the expense of the oppressed Algerian people. The first goal is to nurture hatred and resentment and entrench hostility against Morocco and the Moroccans. This is what the military regime and its mouthpieces have been doing for nearly half a century. So when did this clown, Abdou al-Dollar, according to the above-mentioned Moroccan activist, join the choir of Algerian horns? We don’t know about it; This is not important now.
However, we note with regret that his honorable past and good cultural level did not help him to understand Morocco and the Moroccans, did not prevent him from lying to them and insulting their country, nor did they discourage him from poking his nose in their internal affairs. He brazenly called us against the Israeli recognition of the Moroccan Sahara, forgetting that he was gloating at us weeks ago, because our country restored relations with Israel and the latter did not recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. What logic governs this kind of discourse?
It seems to me that what I have been warning about for some time has become a reality. I have previously warned against infection with Algerian stupidity, in an article with the same title: “A warning against infection with Algerian stupidity” (Our News website, April 24, 2023). What was mentioned in the recent media release of Abdel Bari Atwan is evidence that the infection of Algerian stupidity has done its job. Atwan is not its first victim; It has previously appeared on French President Emmanuel Macron, for example, but not limited to it.
Is there a sane, intelligent, shrewd person… who can agree with Abdel Bari Atwan’s saying that “Algeria is arming for the sake of Palestine” and not in order to contradict Morocco’s interests, either directly by declaring war on it, or through the “Tindouf” gangs? So what did Algeria do for Palestine without pouring out empty slogans on it and offering some millions of dollars to the authority, while spending hundreds of billions of dollars on the Polisario gangs to contradict Morocco’s interests? Like all fools or fools, Atwan believes that Morocco is gaining strength from Israel over Algeria. For his saying, “Algeria is arming for the sake of Palestine,” means behind it to say that Morocco does not need arms, as long as Algeria does not arm itself against it, while the opposite is true. Peaceful Morocco only seeks to strengthen its defense; Whereas, Algeria, which has been waging a war against it for five decades, through the Polisario gangs that sheltered it on its land (which is originally Moroccan, and this is another issue) and created a fake republic for it, and money is lavished on it according to the Algerian people and at the expense of the country’s development, which is floundering in various kinds of problems. , including water and food. Who will believe Abdel Bari Atwan’s delusions and nonsense, except for the “cool” of the Algerian people?
In sum, with Atwan’s declaration that “Algeria is arming for the sake of Palestine”, he confirms his loyalty to the Algerian military regime inherited from the Cold War period; The reason for this is either begging for gifts, or falling under the influence of Algerian stupidity, or both. In all cases, he is no different from the nationalists and the “Khawanjiyya” who trade in Arab nationalism and the Islamic religion (and the Palestinian cause brings them together), and sell illusion to the Arab peoples, Levantine and Maghreb, in the name of Palestine and the people of Palestine, and in the name of Arab and Islamic brotherhood.
Tetouan on July 30, 2023