The entire Middle East has fallen in love with the Atlas Lions, Morocco’s unlikely history makers at the World Cup in Qatar — and that includes thousands of Israeli Jews with roots in the North African country.

But while some Moroccan Jews told the JC of their pride at the team reaching the semi-final against France this week, others voiced unease over the team identifying itself so prominently with the Palestinian cause.

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Morocco-born Israeli Amelie Botbol and a friend rooting for the Atlas Lions

Moroccan-born Amelie Botbol, who made aliyah eight years ago, was in Marrakesh to watch the game against Portugal. “To have our team go this far is a huge accomplishment, one that shows the true spirit of the country, the determination of its people.

“Moroccans throughout the world, including Israel, are feeling very proud,” she told the JC.

“While I’ve been here, I’ve even met a group of French Jews who flew to Marrakesh so they could watch the World Cup here. And as Jews we have had the most wonderful experiences in Marrakesh, from doormen wishing us laila tov to recommendations for kosher restaurants in the city.”

Once home to the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world, the cultural and religious ties between Morocco and Israel have always been strong.

It is not unusual for Israeli Jews of Moroccan descent to have pictures of King Mohammed V, who protected his country’s Jews during the Second World War, hanging in their homes.
And when Morocco joined the Abraham Accords in December 2020 and normalised relations with the Jewish state, ties between the two countries deepened further still.

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Guy, an Israeli with Moroccan roots

Moroccan success on the pitch has prompted celebrations in both Arab and Jewish communities across Israel. Even President Isaac Herzog congratulated Morocco, tweeting his praise in Arabic and French.

However, Israeli resident Guy (who did not want to give his surname), of Moroccan descent, voiced mixed feelings. He said: “To be honest, I’ve felt pretty indifferent. Morocco is definitely the closest Arab nation to Israel and I feel affection for my parents’ Moroccan-Jewish heritage, but I have never visited the country.

"However, my parents have both been really excited by the team’s performance, and they aren’t even that into football. When Morocco beat Portugal, they put on some old Moroccan songs that are traditionally played at Jewish weddings and we had a family dance.”

Meanwhile, the irony of Hamas also embracing the Moroccan side as their own was not lost on him.

“It is certainly a funny situation when Israelis and Hamas support the same team,” he told the JC.

For Maxim, who lives in the city of Or Akiva in the Haifa District, seeing Moroccan football officials and fans waving and donning Palestinian flags at the World Cup has been too much.

“Morocco is my native homeland, but when I saw those flags it made me angry. They have nothing to do with Morocco. Most of Morocco’s players weren’t even born in the country and don’t speak Arabic, so the whole thing is a kind of phoney patriotism.

“As for the indigenous people of Casablanca, they still take care of my grandpa’s grave there and they are always happy to see Moroccan Israelis in the city.”

Almost a million Israelis come from Jewish families who left Morocco in 1948.