Hopes of some elements of Moroccan Jewish leadership for a Government statute giving Moroccan Jewry a status similar to that of the Moslem community in relations with the Government were believed here today to have been dashed by the death last week of Embarrek Bekkai, the Moroccan Minister of the Interior.
The Minister, who had presided at the Congress of Jewish Communities in Rabat recently, had declared himself ready to grant such status to the Moroccan Jewish communities. It appeared unlikely that a successor to the post would approve the project.
If a new Minister is named from the Istiqlal party, which has claimed the Ministry for a long time, the project was seen certain to be rejected. M. Bekkai had also committed himself to granting passports to Jews who wanted them. If the new Interior Minister is an Istiqlal representative, it was indicated that Moroccan Jews seeking passports were likely to experience many difficulties.
The Moroccan opposition newspaper, L’Avant Garde, which expresses the views of the Moroccan Union of Labor, came out editorially in opposition to the proposal for special status. The newspaper said that Moroccan Jews should have their own organization only for social and religious purposes. The newspaper also lauded the declaration by a number of Jewish intellectuals and senior government officials who “combat anti-Semitism together with Zionist activity.”
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