Moroccan University Faces Backlash Over Students’ Israel Trip Amid Gaza Conflict

The authors of the petition on the change.org platform condemned this trip of the students to Israel, in the midst of the conflict in Gaza, considering it as the expression of a "position in flagrant contradiction with the ethics and values advocated by Al Akhawayn University". "These students must be held accountable for the deterioration of the reputation of the university and all its students, even all Moroccans," they indicated in the petition, adding that "it is time to make our voice heard and demand accountability".

Students from Al Akhawayn University participated with 23 pro-Israeli Moroccan activists in a visit to Tel Aviv. During their stay, the Moroccan delegation met with senior Israeli officials, including Meir Ben Shabbat, former Israeli national security adviser. Images shared on social media show these Moroccans sketching dance steps during a concert in Al Quds and exchanging with Israeli officials.

These images sparked a flood of reactions on social media. Many Internet users consider this visit as "a blatant propaganda tool for Israel, aimed at polishing its image in the midst of the ongoing genocide war against the Palestinians in Gaza". The Moroccan Observatory against Normalization with Israel also condemned this trip to Tel Aviv, referring to "its terrible timing in the midst of intense conflict and suffering in Gaza". According to the association, this visit to Tel Aviv by the delegation aims to "promote the Zionist discourse on the events of October 7 and serve the Israeli propaganda in Morocco".

For their part, the organizers of the visit supported their initiative, believing they have "the right to express their personal beliefs and their support for a state recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces". Demonstrations against Israel continue to be recorded almost daily in several Moroccan cities since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7. A situation that has prompted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to close its liaison office in Rabat and the Israeli National Security Council to issue a travel warning for Morocco.