Controversy Erupts Over Israeli Actress in Moroccan TV Series Amid Gaza Conflict

The participation of the Israeli actress of Moroccan origin, named Eva Kadosh, in the series "Nas El Mellah" is disturbing. This former soldier known for her support for the Israeli army in the ongoing war in Gaza plays the role of "Messouda", a Jew residing in Essaouira and appreciated for her warm personality, in this series which takes place in the Mellah district of the city of Essaouira, where several Muslim and Jewish families live, including the family of Hajj Ibrahim and his neighbor, Messouda. She is awaiting the return of her niece Janine, who has come from Canada, who is trying to restore her mother’s house and resist the covetousness of a broker seeking to acquire it.

While the producers of the series claim that it aims to illustrate the diversity of the Moroccan social fabric and the coexistence that has always characterized the kingdom between Jews and Muslims, Aziz Hannaoui, a member of the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, sees in this series a simple "propaganda seeking to legitimize Moroccan-origin Zionists". The broadcast of the series, at the same time as the war of genocide in Gaza and Lebanon, amounts to "embellishing the image of the murderous Zionists," he told Al Jazeera. He said the Observatory had been following Eva Kadosh’s activities for years and that she was not known to be an actress, but rather for sharing Moroccan recipes on social media, which she attributed to Israel.

This woman, who claims to reside in Marrakech, actually lives in Tel Aviv and only obtained her Moroccan national identity card and passport in mid-2022, he added, before specifying that she has published on her social networks photos with the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army and the Mossad officer, Sam Benchetrit, as well as images of missiles and shells with the caption: "I hope these missiles will hit you directly". She also accompanied one of these photos with the comment: "I send you a greeting and a farewell", while posting messages calling for the erasure of Gaza and supporting the Israeli army in this process. Hannaoui also said that the Observatory had documented these photos and messages before Eva deleted them.

In the eyes of the Moroccan journalist Mustafa Elfanne, this series is "suspicious". Its message is "insulting to the country," he denounces in a post on his Facebook page. He believes it is a call for the Jews who left Morocco to return before it is too late, as Muslim Moroccans are ready to seize their property and land. Elfanne did not fail to address the screenwriter and channel 2M: "May God not forgive them, for they have chosen the wrong time to restore the image of an Israeli settler from Tel Aviv, whose only wish in life is to erase Gaza from the map and kill all its inhabitants".

Also outraged, the Moroccan Front for Support to Palestine and the Fight against Normalization has called for a demonstration next Tuesday in front of the 2M headquarters in Rabat to demand the cessation of the broadcast of this series. For his part, the producer of "Nass el Mellah" claims that everything that has been published is an attempt to tarnish the image of the actress and damage her reputation. The Israeli actress Eva Kadosh, participating in this series, has been the victim of attempts at defamation, said Ahmed Bouaroua in an interview with Assabah.

He also specified that Eva, born in Rabat and residing in Marrakech, is proud of her Moroccanness, holds a Moroccan national identity card and believes in coexistence between all Moroccans, regardless of their religion or origin. The producer said he is against Zionism. "Our king is the president of the Al Quds Committee, and my country is one of the greatest supporters of the Palestinian cause. However, I support the Moroccan Muslim, Jew, Christian, Amazigh and Arab," he added.