In North Africa this week, the Palestinian cause is once again igniting passionate reactions—but not in equal measure. While tens of thousands of Moroccans surged through the streets of Rabat in one of the country’s largest pro-Palestine demonstrations in recent memory, neighboring Algeria has taken a markedly different path, choosing instead to keep such shows of solidarity firmly in check.
The demonstrations in Morocco came amid rising outrage over Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza and the strong U.S. backing of the operation. Protesters gathered in front of the Parliament building in Rabat, waving Palestinian flags, chanting against Israeli airstrikes, and condemning what they view as American complicity in the deepening crisis. Some held banners decrying U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on relocating Palestinians as a pathway to Gaza’s reconstruction—a proposal dismissed by demonstrators as both dehumanizing and dangerous.
This wasn’t a small, symbolic march. The crowd spanned all walks of life—students, professionals, Islamists, leftists, and apolitical citizens—united by what they saw as a moral imperative to speak out. Many accused Arab regimes of complacency, suggesting that regional normalization with Israel has emboldened its military actions in Gaza. One protester, standing on a plastic crate to address a small crowd, shouted into a megaphone: “If our governments are silent, we won’t be. Palestine is not a bargaining chip.”
The demonstration also had a political undertone directed inward. While Morocco officially suspended diplomatic ties with Israel following the Gaza escalation, its earlier moves toward normalization under the 2020 Abrahamic Accords still linger in public memory. For many on the streets, the protest was both a stand against foreign injustice and a demand for domestic consistency. As one placard read: “You can’t condemn massacres with one hand and shake hands with the killers using the other.”
But a very different scene—or rather, lack of one—played out in Algeria. Despite its historic support for the Palestinian cause and frequent rhetorical jabs at Morocco’s normalization deal with Israel, the Algerian government has opted to ban all pro-Palestinian marches. Citing security concerns and the need to preserve public order, authorities have issued no protest permits and warned against unauthorized gatherings.
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The ban has raised eyebrows. Algeria has long prided itself on being a bastion of anti-imperialist solidarity and a staunch critic of Israeli policies. In previous decades, its support for the Palestinian Liberation Organization was unequivocal. But today’s political climate in Algiers is one of heightened internal sensitivity. Public protests—on any issue—are seen through the lens of post-Hirak caution. Since the widespread anti-government demonstrations that rocked the country from 2019 to 2021, the state has grown increasingly wary of mass mobilizations that could morph into broader dissent.
Some Algerians have taken to social media to question the rationale. “If we can’t march for Palestine, what can we march for?” wrote one activist on X (formerly Twitter). Others suggested the ban was less about public order and more about controlling the public mood. Even commentators typically aligned with the government expressed discomfort, noting that the optics of silencing solidarity don’t sit well with the nation’s long-standing political identity.
The divergence between Algeria and Morocco is striking. In Morocco, the state has tolerated—and even occasionally facilitated—pro-Palestinian marches, despite their occasional critique of state policies. In Algeria, where government rhetoric on Palestine is louder, actual street-level expression is stifled. It’s a paradox that exposes the complex interplay between foreign policy posturing and domestic control.
Ultimately, the situation illustrates how the Palestinian issue continues to serve as both a unifying symbol and a political pressure valve across the Arab world. But the way it is expressed—or suppressed—varies widely. In Morocco, the streets roar with anger and slogans. In Algeria, that same anger simmers quietly, kept indoors by state decree. Whether this divergence reflects deeper political trends or simply tactical differences in crowd control remains to be seen. But for now, North Africa finds itself once again in a familiar position—united in sentiment, divided in expression.
