He was the most western king of the Arab world: Who is Hassan II of Morocco?

TIME magazine featured King Muhammad on its cover in 1957. Although the royal palaces were well protected, there was a coup attempt in Morocco in 1971.

The reign of King Hassan II of Morocco can be summarized under three headings:

strict adherence to the dynastic family that has ruled the country since the 17th century and to the old traditional instruments of authority; To protect the country against the Arab nationalism movement by trying to pacify the political, military, and religious leaders who were effective in gaining independence, and after achieving unity within the country, by following a foreign policy close to America and Western countries.

Hassan II (9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Alawi dynasty, the eldest son of Sultan Mohammed V, and his second wife, Lalla Abla bint Tahar. He was the first commander-in-chief of the Royal Armed Forces and named crown prince in 1957.

King Hassan II of Morocco celebrated his birthday every year with a big organization in the city of Suheyrat, located near Rabat, the capital of Morocco. However, at his 42nd birthday ceremony on July 10, 1971, the King encountered a big surprise. 600 soldiers under the command of a colonel quickly entered the royal palace and began to open fire at random. These aimless shots created an atmosphere of panic in the people who came for the organization, and all the guests tried to save themselves by running towards the beach.

King Hasan the Second was able to save himself from this attack by hiding with the help of a soldier who was there. As a result of this coup attempt led by a general and a colonel, nearly 100 people lost their lives and 125 people were injured. Among those who lost their lives and were injured were important foreign guests and diplomats.

In his statement after this coup, the King of Morocco said to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, whom he thought was among the organizers of the conspiracy, "Today, I am the king of Morocco more than I was yesterday." He wanted to give the message that he was continuing his duty stronger than before. After this coup, King Hasan took very harsh measures against those responsible and punished them all. He wanted to completely change the military bureaucracy through General Muhammed Ufkir, to whom he gave great authority. However, these harsh measures and interventions could not prevent a second coup attempt against him.

General Muhammed Ufkir, whom he appointed to punish those responsible for the coup, attempted to assassinate King Hasan, who returned to his country on the royal plane from a long holiday in France after 13 months, with warplanes.

As the King's plane descended towards the capital Rabat, warplanes began to fire volleys. When the plane almost crashed, King Hasan, himself a pilot, took control himself. The message he sent over the radio to other pilots, "Don't shoot, the dictator is dead," caused the fire to cease. Thus, the King landed his plane himself and executed those responsible for the incident, especially General Ufkir.

Life story

Hassan II was born in Rabat on July 9, 1929. His father is Muhammad Fifth, who went down in the history of the country with the title of "the king who gained independence". His mother, Princess Leyla, his father's second wife, is a member of the Alevi dynasty.

When Hasan was born, 17 years had passed since Morocco became a protectorate of France.

The number of politicians who wanted independence against France's protection increased and nationalist organizations began to emerge in different parts of the country. Hassan II's father, Mohammed V, continued his rule by trying to create a balance between the French administration and the people who supported Morocco's nationalist-independence idea.

Second Hasan completed his education in law in Bordeaux, France, in 1951. After Mohammed the Fifth began to openly express his demands for independence against France, Hassan II and his father, King Mohammed the Fifth, were forced to live in exile for two years, first in Corsica and then in Madagascar, under the pressure of France.

Unable to manage the increasing turmoil in the country in 1955, France wanted King Mohammed V and his son Hassan II to return to Morocco. After returning to Morocco, King Mohammed V appointed his son Hassan II as the commander-in-chief of the country's army.

After the death of King Mohammed V in 1961, Hassan II ascended the throne as the new king of Morocco. Hassan II, who was king until 1999, expanded the country's territory and made great efforts for the unity and integrity of the country. He achieved this unity and solidarity partly with the oppressive policies he implemented and partly with some critical decisions he made. For example, politician Mehdi Ben Barka, an important figure in Morocco's independence in 1965, was arrested and then sent to France. Ben Barka, who was last seen in Paris on October 29, 1965, was never heard from again. Ben Barka was a very important political opponent of Hassan II and he had a strong supporter base in the country that loved him.

Hasan II, who completed his education in France, was a modern leader who had good relations with Europe. However, he was also making good use of the traditional authority powers derived from Morocco's history.

Hasan the Second actively used the title of "caliphate" and consolidated his political and religious power through the caliphate. With the amendments made to the Constitution, he took the caliphate under strict protection and made regulations that would not allow any criticism.

Although Morocco gained its independence in 1956, foreign states still dominated some regions within the country. One of these regions was Western Sahara. Spain did not want to leave the region due to its rich underground resources and geopolitical importance. However, since he thought that one day he would withdraw from the region, he wanted to gather independence-loving politicians in the region together. For this reason, in 1973, Spain helped the independent Sahara movement in the region to gather under a party. The name of this movement, which was established to gain the independence of the Western Sahara region, was "Polisario".

After this move, Hasan II appeared in front of the television on November 6, 1975, and made a very important speech about the history of the country. With this speech, he started the "Green March", one of the most important events in Morocco's recent history. For the Green March, King Hassan II called on the Moroccan people to march towards Western Sahara, holding only Moroccan flags and the Holy Quran in their hands.

After this call, approximately 350 thousand Moroccans moved towards the Western Sahara border. Thereupon Spain; had to sign an agreement sharing the region with Morocco and Mauritania and withdrew his soldiers from the region within a year.

The difference between Hassan II and other Arab and Muslim leaders in foreign policy was his close relationship with Israel. It was revealed that in 1965, two years before the Six-Day War between the Arab states and Israel, the Israeli secret service Mossad held a very important meeting for the Arab world in Morocco. A place was set up for Mossad in a hotel in Casablanca. In addition, Hassan II also had a close relationship with Shimon Peres, one of the former presidents of Israel.

Hassan II used this close relationship for the success of the peace talks between Egypt and Israel and ensured that he was among the architects of the Camp David Agreement signed in 1979. It is a known fact that the most support from the Arab world to Shimon Peres's "Greater Israel" project in economic terms was given by Hassan II.

In addition, Israel supported Morocco both economically and militarily. Israel also has support for the wall that Morocco built on its border with Algeria after the Western Sahara issue.

Today, many Jews still living in Israel come to visit Morocco and organize important religious events. In addition to these policies, Hassan II also had good relations with other European states. Signed trade agreements have made this relationship even more effective.

Hassan II, who became King shortly after Morocco gained independence, made great efforts to become absolute power in the country during his 38-year reign. To maintain and defend the strong monarchical system he established, he disabled important internal actors he saw as rivals.

After making the country politically stable, he expanded his country's territory and helped establish Morocco's national identity with the diplomatic moves he made. He carried out modernization studies for economic development. He protected his country from Arab nationalism with a versatile diplomacy. It maintained close relations with Europe and applied for membership in the European Union in the 1980s.

King Hassan II was 70 years old when he ended his busy life in Rabat on July 23, 1999. After him, his son Muhammad ascended the throne with the title of "King Muhammad the Sixth". King Hasan's body was buried in the royal mausoleum in the capital Rabat, where his father Mohammed V was buried.