Morocco and Jerusalem: A Deep and Historical Relationship Fraught with Political Complexities

In 2008, BMAQ, under instruction by King Mohammed VI, began restoration work on the building after completing technical studies, which were entrusted to an engineering consultancy firm made up of Palestinian and Moroccan engineers.

Morocco holds great significance for Jerusalemites. In 1967, Israel razed the Old City’s 800-year-old Moroccan Quarter to build the Western Wall’s expansive Jewish prayer plaza (see The Destruction of Jerusalem’s Moroccan Quarter: From Centuries-Old Maghrebi Community to Western Wall Prayer Plaza). The quarter’s inhabitants were rendered homeless as a result, but their historic ties to the city have not been forgotten. In fact, the gate that connects the bridge from the Western Wall to al-Aqsa Mosque, which is used by Israelis who encroach on al-Haram al-Sharif in violation of the long-standing status quo agreement (see What is the “Status Quo”?), is known as Bab al-Maghariba (the Maghrebi or Moroccan Gate).

Hajj Saeed Abdul Ghani, 79, originally from Jerusalem’s Moroccan Quarter and a current resident of Saadia Street in the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, told Jerusalem Story that Moroccans are no strangers to Jerusalem. “They have always had a presence there.”3 He still remembers the neighborhood where he was born and where he spent his entire youth. “On the night of June 10–11, 1967, without even allowing us to take our memories and some of our belongings from our homes, Israeli bulldozers razed our entire neighborhood,” Hajj Saeed explained. “Before the Israeli occupation, some Moroccan families who lived in the neighborhood left the city, and I don’t know if they returned to Morocco or moved elsewhere.”

Dr. Yousef Natsheh, director of the Center for Jerusalem Studies at Al-Quds University, shared that the Moroccan Quarter holds a special place in the memories of Jerusalemites. The neighborhood, Natsheh explained, has played a significant role in the daily, cultural, and religious life of the city. The entire neighborhood is “an Islamic endowment from King al-Afdal [son of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi], after the city’s liberation from the Crusaders. He endowed it to the Moroccan mujahideen who participated in the city’s liberation, and it remained in their name.”4 Over time, “various [Islamic waqf] endowments spread throughout the area, including schools, buildings, prayer halls, zawiyas, and other facilities,” he said.

Israel’s interests in controlling the area in 1967 were evident from the start. Immediately after the occupation of Jerusalem, the Israeli army seized the Maghrebi Gate in the southwestern corner of al-Aqsa Mosque and declared it under direct Israeli sovereignty. The army subsequently banned the Islamic waqf guards, who control all other gates to the mosque alongside Israeli officers, from being present.

Surprisingly, in May 2023, Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director general of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department, received a call from an Israeli officer stating that he wanted to hand over the key to the Maghrebi Gate, which he had stolen during the occupation of the city in 1967. Officer Yair Barak arrived at the Waqf Department headquarters at Bab al-Majlis, an entrance to al-Aqsa, and announced that he had stolen it during the city’s occupation.

Sheikh al-Khatib relayed that Barak said he knew the key was “just a symbol,” and that there were other keys like it, but he was determined to return it to its rightful owners. “Rights must be returned to their owners,” Barak declared. Al-Khatib thanked him and Barak explained: “I don’t know why I decided to keep it. I am sorry for having stolen.”5

To this day, Jewish Israelis of Moroccan descent reminisce on the days when they lived in Morocco. Indeed, many were quick to visit their country of origin once relations between Israel and Morocco improved over the last three decades. Following official normalization between the two states in December 2020, the number of Jewish Israelis of Moroccan descent visiting the Kingdom of Morocco skyrocketed.6

While only 3,000 Jews still live in Morocco, the number of Israeli Jews of Moroccan origin is estimated at 800,000.7 According to a 2022 report in Atlantic Council, the Foundation of Moroccan Jewish Heritage has preserved dozens of synagogues around Morocco and, in 1997, created the only Jewish museum in the Arab world in Casablanca.8

As diplomatic, military, and security coordination continues to grow between Rabat and Tel Aviv in the midst of Israel’s genocide in Gaza,9 Palestinians in Jerusalem are skeptical of the kingdom’s intentions. This was made worse by a highly publicized visit to Israel on July 7, 2025, of a group of imams, many of Moroccan origin and based in Europe, in which they met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and expressed their support for Israel and for fostering interfaith dialogue while ignorning the ongoing genocide.10 Many Palestinians questioned the timing and motivation of the controversial visit, which has sparked outrage.11

The visit was organized by ELNET, an NGO that promotes ties between Europe and Israel.12 There were no reports that the European imams visited with any Palestinians or Palestinian sites in the Old City, including the al-Aqsa Mosque or the city’s waqf officials.

Despite the warming of relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, known as Amir al-Mu’minin (Commander of the Faithful), has made a few positive steps in Jerusalem to reassure Palestinians of his country’s commitment to the Palestinian cause.

In addition to its restoration and preservation work, BMAQ, the financial arm of the Al-Quds Committee, which the king heads, is active in arranging visits for professional, student, academic, athletic, and media delegations from Jerusalem to Morocco on a continuous and annual basis.

Moreover, in March 2025, the Moroccan Studies Chair was launched at Al-Quds University, according to a memorandum of understanding signed between BMAQ, the Moroccan Cultural Center Association—Bayt Al-Maghrib in Jerusalem, and Al-Quds University.13

The Chair aims to highlight Morocco’s history and cultural heritage, embodying the values of unity, freedom, justice, and peace. It also aims “to encourage Palestinian students and researchers to further explore the long-standing Moroccan-Palestinian relationship, spanning from past to present and into the future.”14

The event inaugurating the chairship at Al-Quds University was attended by a Moroccan academic delegation and deans of the university’s faculties and research centers.15 Significantly, the chairship was established in a special wing in the Faculty of Engineering on the university’s campus in the Palestinian neighborhood of Abu Dis just beyond the city’s municipal boundaries, in Area B of the occupied West Bank.

The director general of BMAQ, Mohammed Salem al-Sharqawi, emphasized that through the chairship, the agency affirms the importance of the role of the Moroccan people in shaping the future of Jerusalem and Palestine through scientific and academic research.16

He pointed out that the agency continues its work in Jerusalem under the direct supervision of King Mohammed VI to support Palestinians and Moroccan institutions in Jerusalem. These include awarding grants to Palestinian students affiliated with the university who conduct field research in Jerusalem in a range of disciplines.

The head of the chairship, Safa Nassereldin, stated that the establishment of the chairship is an effective tool for communication between Moroccan and Palestinian academics and intellectuals.17 She expressed her hope that it would provide an ideal model for cultural exchange between the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and for intercultural exchange.

The Kingdom of Morocco’s involvement in Jerusalem is unique among Arab countries, though many attribute this to its strong relations with Israel. (By contrast, Israel bans the Palestinian Authority from working inside areas under its sovereignty, and is not receptive to involvement of Turkey or Spain.) Indeed, Jerusalem’s Palestinians continue to be divided on BMAQ, with many critiquing its initiatives and others praising it.

Fouad al-Daqqaq, a prominent Jerusalem engineer, told Jerusalem Story that Morocco is undoubtedly doing a good job supporting the resilience of Jerusalemites. He described that the Arab kingdom contributed to the acquisition of several schools for the Islamic Waqf Department, among other projects in the city. Then came the Decent Living Project, which distributed bread at a rate of one million dollars annually and continued for perhaps more than 15 years. (At the time, there was much criticism of this project.)

“In addition,” he said, “there are scouting visits to Morocco. Over many years, during the summer vacation, approximately 30 or 40 male and female Palestinian students visit Morocco.”18 Al-Daqqaq added that “the agency hosts some annual university scholarships in various sciences.”

Similarly, Hajj Saeed said, “Bayt Mal Al-Quds should be stronger and its reach broader, so that every Jerusalemite can see it, not just a few. Moroccans have always been part of the Jerusalem landscape, and they should remain and have a greater impact.”

A Jerusalemite who requested anonymity expressed the view that the strengthening ties between Morocco and Israel, and the visits of official Moroccan delegations to Israel, negatively impact Jerusalemites’ perception of Morocco’s role in the city, especially at a time of increasing Israeli threats to the city’s Palestinian identity.

Today, many in Jerusalem quietly wonder whether Morocco is seeking to play more of a political role in Jerusalem through BMAQ. Jerusalem Story attempted to contact officials at the agency, but they declined several times, despite having received the proposed questions. One official even stated that if the story did not praise the agency, they would not conduct the interview.