In an editorial dealing with the situation of the Jews in Morocco and Algeria, the Washington Post and Times-Herald expressed concern today that “two ancient Jewish communities in North Africa are being menaced by the Nasserite virus.” It asked whether “this Egyptian-inspired vehemence will spill over into the persecution of some 200, 000 Jews in Morocco and an estimated 120, 000 in Algeria.”
The newspaper added that “so far, both the Moroccan Government and the Algerian rebels have deplored the hooligan attacks on the Jewish community. But if the Jews are not permitted the right to emigrate, it is difficult to see how emotions can be contained. For more than a century, the North African Jews have been relatively unmolested. The coexistence has offered a hopeful contrast to the practice elsewhere in the Middle East. It is ominous that Morocco now seems unable or unwilling to either protect its Jewish citizens or to permit them to leave the country in peace.”
(In Casablanca, a manifesto denouncing Zionist activities in Morocco and branding Zionism as “an instrument in the hands of colonialism,” was issued by a group of 30 Jews, most of them civil servants. The declaration was published in the Arab press and broadcast over the Government radio.)
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