Israeli diplomat forced to leave Morocco

An Israeli diplomat attending an international conference in Morocco was forced to leave the country because of anti-Israel protests, officials said. While thousands of people protested outside the Parliament building, David Saranga's presence at a Union for Parliamentary Assembly Euro-Mediterranean Partnership meeting was condemned by Khaled Sofiani of the National Action Group to Support Iraq and Palestine. Sofiani called on the Moroccan government to expel the diplomat, al-Arabiya said. The demonstration outside the building was organized by a local Islamic organization, the report said. The rally stemmed from a planned "Global March to Jerusalem," with Arabs and Palestinians planning mass anti-Israel protests in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank as well as abroad. The march is scheduled Friday. Police and soldiers deployed outside Parliament blocked entrances after protesters attempted to get in, authorities said. Security forces escorted Saranga out through a side door and took him to an airport. Saranga's visit embarrassed the ruling Islamic Justice and Development Party leading the coalition government, the al-Arabiya report said. It said the party called on its parliamentary members to boycott the meeting because of the Israeli diplomat's presence.