Israel Names 10 Government Members With Moroccan Roots

Rabat – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed 34 ministers to form his new government on Sunday, May 17. The list included 10 politicians of Moroccan roots, nearly one third of the government’s members.

Interior Minister Arye Dery was born in Meknes in 1959, while Economy Minister Amir Peretz was born in Boujad, near Beni Mellal, in 1952.

Meanwhile, the list of government members with Moroccan parents includes Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, Minister Responsible for the Government-Knesset Liaison David Amsalem, and Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz.

The list also includes Community Strengthening and Advancement Minister Orly Levy-Abekasis, Minister Responsible for Civil Affairs Michael Biton, and Equality Minister Merav Cohen.

Finally, Minister of Transportation Miri Regev has a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother, while the government coalition’s representative at the Knesset, Miki Zohar, was born to a Moroccan father and a Tunisian mother.

The newly-appointed government ends a 508-day political deadlock during which Israeli parliamentarians could not agree on a coalition. The Knesset voted 73-46 in favor of the new government.

Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister for the fifth term of his political career. However, he promised that he will hand over his position to Minister of Defense Benny Gantz on November 17, 2021.

The new government is the 35th in Israel’s history and is the country’s largest to date.

The appointment of several members of Moroccan roots is only natural since approximately 1 million Israelis, or over 10% of the Israeli population, have at least partial family origins in Morocco.

Israelis of Moroccan descent also represent the second-largest Israeli Jewish community after Israelis with roots in the former Soviet Union.