A round-table conference of all Jewish groups in Morocco will be held for the first time this month to consider joint action on problems arising out of the Moroccan Government’s official anti-Israel policy as it has affected Moroccan Jews, the Herald Tribune reported today from Rabat.
The report noted that Israel and Jews in general are frequently bracketed in official Moroccan Government attitudes despite Government statements that its adherence to the Arab League stand against Israel did not imply anti-Semitism. The report indicated that the Moroccan Jewish groups hoped that the conference would be an occasion for the Moroccan Government to clarify its policy and thus prevent any further confusion between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
The lumping of Jews with Israel has led to a policy of automatic exclusion of competent Jewish civil servants from Moroccan Embassy staffs and missions to the Middle East, the despatch reported, adding that similar attitudes prevailed in cultural circles. Moroccan Jews frequently are ignored because their presence at conferences, lectures and even ordinary social functions would irritate United Arab Republic staffs “who engage actively in anti-Israel propaganda,” according to the dispatch.
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