Moroccan union condemns Rabat and Fez academics’ Israel conference visit
A professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat defended relations between Morocco and Israel at a conference in Ashkelon on October 19. Three days later, a Moroccan union condemned the participation of academics from Rabat and Fez.
Miloud Loukili begins his remarks with a greeting in Hebrew. Addressing Israeli and Moroccan academics gathered in Ashkelon, the professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat continues in English. He says he feels at home and describes relations between the two countries as conducive to dialogue, culture and research.
“I am proud to be Moroccan and proud of Morocco’s Jewish citizens,” he says, according to Ashdod10, which reported on the meeting on October 20. He speaks about preserving Morocco’s Jewish heritage, particularly in Fès, and concludes with a message of love and peace.
The October 19 conference focuses on coexistence between Jews and Muslims in the Maghreb. Organized at Ashkelon Academic College with Bar-Ilan University’s Dahan Center, which is already engaged in scientific cooperation with a center in Essaouira, it includes former Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who was born in Morocco. Eighteen presentations address shared history, languages and heritage.
Three days later, the union’s condemnation
On October 22, the Moroccan Union of Higher Education and Scientific Research denounces the presence of academics from Mohammed V University in Rabat and Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fès in a statement. It calls their participation “irresponsible” and “provocative” and reaffirms its support for the Palestinian cause.
The union’s national bureau views the meeting as an effort to normalize academic ties with Israel. It calls on academics to oppose such initiatives amid mobilization against the war in Gaza.
In Ashkelon, conference director Shimon Ohayon, by contrast, defends the continuation of academic exchanges. The organizers hope to hold further scientific meetings between the two countries, following the 18 presentations delivered at this edition.
