Morocco Citizenship Proposal for Jewish Diaspora Sparks Controversy Amid Gaza Conflict

Presented by Houssain Ben Messaoud, the petition proposes to grant Moroccan nationality to "all children and grandchildren of Moroccan Jews, subjects of the Commander of the Faithful." Explaining the merits of his petition, he states that Moroccan Jews living abroad have suffered the loss of the right to Moroccan citizenship by descent, unlike those residing in the kingdom for "compelling reasons independent of their will," particularly the distance from Morocco and the difficulties related to travel or political, security, economic or social situations in their countries of residence. But this petition, which has only garnered 16 online votes so far, is viewed unfavorably by anti-normalization activists.

In a post on his Facebook account, Aziz Hannaoui, secretary general of the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, denounces "a Zionist petition aimed at Zionizing and Israelizing the Moroccan state, its position, its constitutional institutions and its public policies." This anti-normalization activist of relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv has meanwhile, in an interview with Morocco World News, warned against what he considers a generalized Israeli infiltration into Moroccan society: "The current wave of normalization has dangerously infiltrated many sectors of the country’s public policy. It has infiltrated culture, education, agriculture, the economy, technology, security, the military, archeology and even religious affairs."

The Moroccan Front for Support of Palestine and Opposition to Normalization also opposes this petition, which it condemns, and qualifies as a "betrayal against the Moroccan people." This petition "represents a danger to the sovereignty of Morocco, as it would grant citizenship to settlers, criminals and recruits in an army known for its terrorism, criminality and genocide against the Palestinian people," warns the Front. The petition "represents only a handful of mercenaries paid by the Zionists and their tools" and "constitutes an infiltration of the social fabric by Zionist criminals," it added, pledging to face this petition through various forms of popular protest and legal and institutional means.