Moroccans are condemning Israel’s request for Morocco and seven other Arab and Muslim countries to pay “compensation” for lost property worth billions of dollars.
Rabat – Israel is seeking $250 billion from Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, and Iran, for Jewish people who emigrated and left their property in the Muslim countries after the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948.
Several Moroccan intellectuals and activists reportedly started a petition to condemn the financial compensation request and Israel’s speculation of “inaccurate historical facts.”
Speaking with Morocco World News, Moroccan-French activist Jacob Cohen criticized Israel’s request, describing it as “cynical.”
Cohen said that it was the Israeli intelligence service, known as the Mossad, that sent Jewish Moroccans to Israel.
The Mossad established a secret network in Morocco in 1956 to smuggle Jews to Israel. Jews began to emigrate secretly after Morocco joined the Arab League in 1959, imposing a ban on the immigration of Jews to Israel.
Cohen mentioned King Mohammed VI’s Jewish advisor, Andre Azoulay, and his promoting of peace and coexistence between Jews and Muslims,
”While Andre Azoulay, speaks of coexistence, Israel cynically claims billions for its ‘Jewish refugees from Arab countries’ to make them look similar to Palestinian refugees,” Cohen continued.
Born in Meknes as a Moroccan Jew in 1944, Cohen is known for his criticism of Zionism. During an interview in 2016, Cohen stated that the Mossad is still “very active” in Morocco.
He said: “There is something that is happening at the moment, which is not very known, but it’s starting … the Mossad is actively operating in Amazigh regions.”
Earlier in January, at a lecture under the theme “The Holocaust … and the Zionist Agenda” Cohen spoke of the the “evil genius of Zionist” agenda that seeks to “victimize” Jews and show that no one suffered more than them.
He referred to the Holocaust as a “new religion” brought up by Zionists to justify the occupation of Palestine.
About 250,000 to 350,000 Jewish people lived in Morocco before the establishment of Israel, making it the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world.
Israel estimates the value of Jewish property left behind in Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq at $200 billion. Israel is also demanding $35 billion from Tunisia and $15 billion from Libya.
Read Also: Israel to Seek Compensation for Lost Jewish Property in Morocco
Israel secretly determined the estimates in the countries throughout 2018, reported the Jerusalem Post.
According to Israeli Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel, the Israeli state will take measures to “obtain retribution.”
Earlier in January, Gamliel said on Israeli outlet Hadashot News that “the time has come to correct the historic injustice.”
The minister referred to Jewish families who left Arab and Muslim countries as being “expelled” from their homes.
Many Moroccans, however, wish to correct the minister’s “historical inaccuracies.”
Gamliel’s statement gave the impression that Jewish communities were forced to leave their homes and property behind. Moroccans commenting on the situation disagreed, asserting that Moroccan Jews had lived peacefully alongside Moroccan Muslims.
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