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Doha – The Court of Appeal in Rabat has agreed to review a lawsuit filed by a group of Moroccan lawyers against an Israeli soldier, Moche Avichzer, who visited Marrakech in July after participating in Israel’s genocidal Gaza campaign. The court classified the case under terrorism-related crimes.
Avichzer allegedly posted photos on social media showing him on holiday in Marrakech just days after sharing images of himself in military gear amid the rubble of destroyed Palestinian homes in Gaza. He has since deleted the vacation photos and made his account private following public outcry over his presence in Morocco.
The lawsuit, submitted by seven lawyers on July 29, accuses Avichzer of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing, during his three-month service in Gaza. It cites videos allegedly showing him boasting about killing, burning, torturing and raping Palestinians.
Read also: Anti-Normalization Groups to File Complaint Against Moroccans Who Visited Israel
The complaint calls for Avichzer’s arrest and trial; it invokes Article 711-1 of the Moroccan Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows prosecution of Moroccans or foreigners for terrorist crimes committed abroad if they are apprehended in Morocco. It also cites the anti-terrorism law’s Article 218-1 of the Penal Code, covering deliberate assaults on life, safety and freedom, and Article 218-1-1 on joining or attempting to join terrorist groups.
Lawyer Najia El Haddaji said the Attorney General in Marrakech initially refused to accept the complaint before it was forwarded to the Rabat court. She and the other plaintiffs aim to defend Palestinian human rights and hope their carefully crafted case will set an example for prosecuting war criminals.
Avichzer’s visit sparked protests in Marrakech in late July, with hundreds demonstrating outside the Koutoubia Mosque, waving Palestinian flags and keffiyehs while demanding his arrest and trial. Weekly rallies against Morocco’s 2020 normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel have drawn thousands of protesters in recent months.
The Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization tracked Avichzer’s movements in Marrakech via social media, alerting activists who organized the Koutoubia protest. Activist leaders praised the lawyers’ initiative and vowed continued popular, legal and advocacy efforts in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
If the Rabat court decides to proceed, it would be the first war crimes trial against an Israeli soldier in North Africa. Morocco has no public extradition treaty with Israel, despite the 2020 normalization deal.
