Protesters raise a banner depicting Moroccan football player Hakim Ziyech during a rally in support of the Palestinian people and against Israel's approval of a death penalty bill, in Rabat. AFP
The crowd of around 5,000 people marched down the capital's Mohammed V Avenue in the centre of town, with many carrying Palestinian and Moroccan flags, AFP journalists reported.
The protest was called by the National Action Group for Palestine, which brings together Islamists from the Justice and Development party and left-wing activists.
Marchers chanted "no to the death penalty" and "no to occupation and Zionism", as well as slogans criticising Israel's genocide in Gaza.
"We're sending our support to Palestinian prisoners who are threatened by this new law on the death penalty," said Aziz El Hannaoui, a member of the organising coalition.
The Israeli law makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed "acts of terrorism" by an Israeli military court.
It also allows the death penalty to be applied in murder cases tried in Israeli criminal courts if the perpetrator intended to "put an end to the existence of the State of Israel".
It does not apply to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, effectively creating a separate legal track for Palestinians.
After its passage, the law was condemned by the Palestinian Authority, activists and several foreign governments, and immediately drew a court challenge.
While the death penalty exists for a small number of crimes in Israel, Israel has routinely killed Palestinians under its occupation of the West Bank and committed genocide in Gaza.
The protesters in Rabat on Sunday also renewed their criticism of Morocco's normalisation of ties with Israel in 2020.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online
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