A proposal to give Moroccan citizenship to Jews who left and their descendants may have some support, while Israel's hesitation in recognizing the annexation of Western Sahara is puzzling considering hopes to further build the relationship
While it’s unclear when Morocco will open an embassy in Israel, it’s not too soon for Israelis to start dreaming about a return to Morocco. Enough with the trend of getting citizenship from Poland, Hungary, France, and Portugal. Israelis of Moroccan descent deserve a country of refuge, too.
Morocco’s parliament how now been asked to pass legislation making any Jew who left Morocco eligible for citizenship. This would apply not just to those who left, but also their children and grandchildren, and regardless of whether the progenitor has died or renounced their citizenship.
The petition was signed by El Houssain Benmessaoud, “Moroccan citizen,” and outlines the country’s Jewish history. “The Moroccan Jewish community, as an essential part of the Moroccan nation, holds a deep love and close connection to the king’s magnificent throne, both inside and outside of Morocco, in every part of the world,” it reads. “So, too, their descendants, who have loyally served the king and the interests of the state and nation throughout the centuries.”
A portion of Morocco’s Jewish community were forced to leave and stripped of citizenship because of circumstances beyond their control, the petition says. This split the Moroccan Jewish community, severing it into two segments – who stayed and kept their citizenship, and those who left and did not.
“Despite the hardships and the difficulties this community endured, they remained loyal to their love for the king and the Moroccan people, and upheld the customs of Moroccan society,” the petition reads. “In order to end this suffering, the state must grant them citizenship and let them have their full legal, cultural, religious, and economic rights.”
The petition was filed through a government-run website that any citizen or organization can use to petition the government with a legislative proposal on any subject. This website was created as part of King Mohammed VI’s policy of improving direct dialogue between the government and individual citizens.
But for lawmakers to even consider it, the petition has to get at least the signatures of 20,000 citizens. For now, it only has eight. Nevertheless, it has already caused a stir in Morocco – and in Arab countries appalled by the prospect of an Arab state granting citizenship to Jews who left the country.
On the other hand, a review of the many comments reacting to the petition on the Hespress news site, suggests there is substantial support. Many commenters wrote that they had thought Moroccan citizenship was perpetual and couldn’t be revoked, regardless of where the citizen resided.
Others said Moroccan Jews were an inseparable part of the nation and that they would welcome them – “provided that they respect the laws of the country and remember that this is a Muslim country,” one commenter wrote. Another wrote sardonically, “Welcome. They should leave Palestine, which they occupied, and return to their motherland, Morocco. We need their brilliance.”
News of the petition came as Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who is of Moroccan Jewish descent, was visiting the country. During his visit, Ohana promised that Israel would recognize Moroccan sovereignty in the disputed region of Western Sahara. The U.S. extended this recognition in 2020 under then-President Donald Trump, in a decision that was announced alongside news of Morocco’s agreement to begin normalizing ties with Israel.
The prospect of Israeli recognition is not a new idea. Over time, several proposals have been blocked by the Foreign Ministry, which has sought not to cross the United States and Europe on the issue. But it’s been years since the United States recognized Western Sahara as belonging to Morocco. It seems like a paradox for Israel to hesitate after Trump’s decision, which sparked major tensions between the United States and Algeria.
Western Sahara was colonized by Spain in the 19th century and taken by Morocco when Spain withdrew in 1975. Morocco annexed it in 1979. It has since been locked in a struggle with the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi nationalist movement fighting for independence since the early 1970s and recognized by the United Nations as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people.
Morocco proposed autonomy to Polisario in 2006 . However, Polisario rejected the proposal, and the battle has continued. Although the Biden administration said it was reviewing Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, it has refrained from reversing its predecessor’s policy, and its spokespeople dodge questions on the matter
Criticism of the decision points to the obvious diplomatic flaw by which the United States recognizes the sovereignty of a country over land that it has occupied. Critics point out that the United States went to war against Iraq in 1991 in the wake of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. In December 2021, the foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations issued a statement condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, declaring: “Any use of force to change borders is strictly prohibited under international law.”
According to the logic behind Trump’s decision to recognize Morocco’s annexation of Western Sahara, the United States could also recognize Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and occupation of other parts of Ukraine , and of course, Israel’s de facto annexation of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. It could also recognize Israel’s eventual annexation of the West Bank, if and when Israel should take such a step.
Within this context, it’s only natural that Israel would have to recognize Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara – especially if down the road, some Israeli citizens are awarded the right to Moroccan citizenship.