After the Polisario, it is now the so-called «Rif Nationalist Party» that is appealing to Spain for fair treatment similar to that granted to the Palestinians. «What we hope from Spain, which now supports the Palestinian cause, is that it does not forget its obligations towards the people of the Rif and Western Sahara», declared Redouane Oussama, president of this separatist movement, during a meeting in Brussels. According to a media outlet close to the Polisario, Oussama stressed that «the Sahrawi issue, just like that of the Palestinians, is listed with the United Nations Fourth Committee as a case of unfinished decolonization. It is therefore crucial for Spain to also support the right of the Sahrawi people». He also called on the Spanish government to «ally with the Rif rather than with the Moroccan regime, which nonetheless claims parts of Spain's national territory». Just a few weeks earlier, he defended «Spain's sovereignty» over Ceuta, Melilla, and the islets of the western Mediterranean, describing it as «an undeniable historical fact», according to his comments to an Iberian media outlet. The Rif separatists have even requested weapons from Spain to «protect Melilla». As a reminder, on May 28, 2024, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez officially recognized the State of Palestine.
