Controversy Erupts in Morocco Over Proposal to Rename Streets After Jewish Figures
Proposal to replace names of anti-colonial leaders with Jewish personalities sparks accusations of erasing national memory and promoting normalization with Israel.
Watan-The controversy continues in Morocco after a local human rights organization requested the renaming of streets and cultural centers in Agadir after Moroccan Jewish figures, prompting fierce debate over identity, history, and normalization with Israel.
In a letter seen by Al-Quds Al-Arabi, the Moroccan Institute for Human Rights appealed to Agadir Mayor Aziz Akhannouch—who is also the Prime Minister—to adopt names that “restore the memory of Moroccan Jewish citizens, promote coexistence and pluralism, and reflect the city’s diverse identity.”
The proposal referenced the Moroccan Constitution, which recognizes Hebraic heritage as part of the national identity, noting the absence of Jewish Moroccan names in Agadir’s public spaces as a cultural gap needing correction.
However, backlash was swift and intense.
Public Figures and Activists Push Back
Under the slogan “Agadir is not for sale: No to erasing national memory in the name of Zionist pluralism,” Adil Chikito, president of the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights, slammed the proposal. He criticized the idea of replacing historic nationalist figures like Allal El Fassi and Abderrahim Bouabid—symbols of Morocco’s anti-colonial resistance—with names of people “unknown to 99% of Agadir residents.”
He accused the head of the institute behind the proposal of being one of the most openly pro-Israel figures in Morocco, who has repeatedly visited Israel and appeared in photos “smiling in Zionist institutions above the bodies of Palestinian victims.”
Chikito warned that such efforts signal a deliberate agenda disguised as cultural dialogue and called for serious resistance to these changes.
Similarly, Jamal Al-Assri, secretary-general of the Unified Socialist Party, stated:“The Zionists in Morocco have accelerated—from normalization to attempts to erase national memory.”
He urged national resistance against the proposal and questioned the silence of the Istiqlal Party and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, whose party founders are being replaced in the naming process, despite their long-standing opposition to normalization.
“This is humiliation—not only to the parties, but to the nation and its collective memory,” he said.
Cultural and Social Rejection Widens
Salima Belmokadem, head of the “Morocco Environment 2050” Movement, described the initiative as “an open call for Zionization” and part of the dangerous “blessings of normalization with neo-colonial forces.”
Social media activists joined in, accusing the group of “confusing Morocco with Zionist settlements,” and rejected the idea of replacing names of national heroes with figures lacking national resonance.
The proposal included:
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Renaming Allal El Fassi Street in Bouargane to Simon Levy Street, honoring the late Jewish Moroccan anthropologist and activist.
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Renaming Abderrahim Bouabid Street to Khalifa Ben Malka Street, a former local rabbi.
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Naming Agadir’s Reconstruction Museum after Orna Baiz, a Jewish survivor of the 1960 earthquake.
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Naming the Dakhla Cultural Complex after Nita Elkayem, a Moroccan Jewish singer.
Debate Over Identity and National Sovereignty
Critics argue that while recognizing Jewish Moroccan heritage is legitimate, erasing foundational nationalist figures in the process is deeply offensive and politically suspect, especially amid growing criticism of normalization with Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza.
This debate illustrates Morocco’s ongoing identity tensions, balancing its multicultural history with growing resistance to perceived foreign political influence, particularly in cultural and symbolic spaces.