Michael Rubin Calls for a New Green March to Ceuta and Melilla
American researcher and writer specializing in American politics and Middle Eastern affairs, Michael Rubin, has urged Morocco to organize a peaceful public movement akin to the Green March of 1975, aimed at ending the Spanish presence in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. He believes that Spain’s ongoing control of the two cities represents an illegal extension of European sovereignty in North Africa.
In an article published Monday on the Middle East Forum Observer, Rubin suggested that this “new Green March” should be an unarmed popular gathering where Moroccans raise their flags within the cities, referencing the historical success of the original Green March led by King Hassan II to compel Spain to withdraw from Western Sahara.
Rubin added that, despite their small size, Ceuta and Melilla are vulnerabilities for European security, noting the regular influx of African migrants at the border walls of both cities. He asserted that Morocco’s actions in this direction would not face any direct military intervention from NATO, citing the legal texts of the alliance’s treaty regarding the scope of defense obligations.
In his article, Rubin encouraged King Mohammed VI to revive the spirit of the original Green March and affirm Moroccan sovereignty over the two enclaves, calling on the Spanish government to adhere to its anti-colonial rhetoric and end the “Spanish occupation in Africa,” as he put it.
Rubin’s article has sparked widespread debate in political and diplomatic circles, given the sensitivity of the Ceuta and Melilla issue in Moroccan-Spanish relations.
