Moroccan Jews Divided on Israel-Hamas Conflict as War Continues

"Violence only breeds more violence. The war must stop, and the solution is to decolonize Palestine," said Alia, a Moroccan-French Jew, speaking anonymously to The New Arab. According to her, her anti-Israeli positions have earned her criticism from some members of the Jewish community and have led to heated debates in the synagogue in her neighborhood. "If few Moroccan Jews adopt the same pro-Palestinian position as me, I have never met anyone who agrees with what Israel is doing today," she added. Unlike Alia, David, a Moroccan Jew based in Marrakech, did not wish to comment on "traumatic events". "I am a Moroccan Jew, not an Israeli. So why am I supposed to make an official statement about Israel?" he wondered.

Other Moroccan Jews take a different stance. According to them, it is their duty to denounce what they describe as atrocities committed by Israel in their name and in the name of their faith. "We have been victims of violence at one time, and we should not do the same to other people now that we have the power," said Sarah, a Moroccan Jewish woman based in Casablanca. "Hamas and Israel are recklessly endangering the lives of civilians. The solution lies in diplomatic talks," she added. For her - and many other Jews in Morocco - the Abraham Accords should in principle be an instrument that the signatory countries like Morocco - which signed it in December 2020 - could use to advance the peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

Unfortunately, "normalization leads straight to a dead end. Previous experiences in Egypt and Jordan show that there is nothing to be expected from a collaboration with a colonial state," commented Sion Asidon, 74, head of the Moroccan BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement. This pro-Palestinian based in Rabat is currently waging a fierce struggle against normalization, through demonstrations calling for the closure of the Israeli office in Rabat.

Despite numerous calls for a ceasefire, Israel is intensifying its retaliation against Hamas. The Israeli Prime Minister has also ruled out any ceasefire. "Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel’s surrender to Hamas, to terrorism, to barbarism. That won’t happen," Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.