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‘I Feel at Home Here’: In the Shadow of War, Moroccan Muslims Visit Israel to Promote Peace
Sharaka delegation visiting Israel. Photo: Courtesy of Sharaka
Ayoub Koulli knew about Morocco’s ancient and dwindling Jewish community through his father, who would speak about his many Jewish friends in Casablanca. But Koulli’s father passed away, taking his stories with him. Eager to learn more about the history of the Jews, Koulli began a pilgrimage which would take him to the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz and eventually to Jerusalem, where he arrived this month with a group of 23 other young Moroccans.
“I feel really emotional being here,” Koulli told The Algemeiner.
The group, called Sharaka, was established in the wake of the Abraham Accords — which Morocco signed — to promote “person-to-person” diplomacy between Israel and Arab countries. During the week-long visit, delegates visited Yad Vashem, the Jewish state’s national memorial to the Holocaust, and other key sites around Israel, including Al Aqsa Mosque. The group also held several meetings with high-tech leaders and Israeli officials, including Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, and former National Security Council adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat who addressed the group in Moroccan Arabic.
Sharaka delegation meeting with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Photo: Courtesy of Sharaka
The group visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the site of the Nova festival massacre, and the villages and kibbutzim in the Gaza periphery which were attacked by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7.
Sharaka delegation visiting Israeli communities devastated by Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. Photo: Courtesy of Sharaka
Achraf Ibra, 29, said he was in his twenties when he was introduced for the first time to the notion of the Holocaust. “The subject was never mentioned,” he said.
He went on to say that visiting Yad Vashem was a “deeply moving experience” that was also “extremely necessary, especially in this particular context where antisemitism is resurfacing everywhere in the world, even in Western societies that were previously less affected by this phenomenon.”
Sharaka’s executive director Dan Feferman said one of the group’s aims was to educate Arabs and Muslims on “taboo” subjects like the Holocaust. “By learning from history’s darkest chapters, we can become inspired to spread light and tolerance throughout our communities,” he said.
As an artist booker and event producer for music festivals, Koulli was already acquainted with prominent Israeli DJs and as such did not share the same biases against Israelis as some of his peers back home. “Before the trip I believed Israel has the right to defend itself and I still believe that,” he said.
But learning the meaning of Zionism marked a change for him. “Beforehand, I thought Zionism was very radical — it was a bad word for me,” Koulli said.
In May, Koulli joined Sharaka on the annual March of the Living, a Holocaust education program that brings people from around the world to Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration camp in Poland. It marked the first time a pan-Arab delegation participated in a march of solidarity for Jews. While there, Youssef Elazhari, Shakara’s director in Morocco, slammed a small group of anti-Israel protesters who were hurling invectives related to the Gaza war at marchers.
“To counter a peaceful march like that is so f—ked up. I will never tolerate that. And sometimes these people talk in the name of Islam,” he said.
“As a Muslim, I will march with the Jews because I feel that if we don’t acknowledge [the Holocaust], it’s a huge denial of our own humanity,” he said.
The anti-Israel protesters, Elazhari averred, “just missed the logic about humanity.”
For Salah Ghrissi, a photographer and food influencer from Fez, the most significant turning point was learning that Arabs and Jews are equal under the law in Israel, where Arabs comprise 21 percent of the population.
“The biggest myth that was debunked for me was that Arabs do not have the same rights [as Jews],” he said.
Until a month ago, Ghrissi had no involvement with Sharaka and only heard about the trip through his friend, Moroccan singer Hodayah. Ghrissi said he came largely out of curiosity and an urge to see what was happening in Israel on the ground after seeing so much on the news.
Ayoub Koulli and Salah Ghrissi. Photo: Provided by author
“I thought, it’s impossible that a whole country is a ‘baby killer’; it doesn’t make sense. I need to go and see,” he said.
Witnessing the devastation of the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7 was especially impactful. “Standing there and seeing the bullet and grenade holes in the houses was very hard,” he said.
Ghrissi admitted that he paid a social price for his decision and that some of his friends could not understand his motivation for visiting Israel. He acknowledged that they were exposed to only very anti-Israel Arabic-language media. Elazhari, who led the delegation in Israel, admitted that he too used to be a “victim” of Al Jazeera propaganda. For another participant who asked to remain anonymous, the stakes were even higher. “I received death threats,” he said.
A poll published earlier this year by the Doha-based Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies showed that 75 percent of Moroccans consider the Oct. 7 attack a “legitimate act of resistance” and 95 percent categorized US policy on the war as “bad.”
Ghrissi said he lost several dozen social media followers. “I got asked how much Israel was paying me.”
Sharaka delegation visiting Israel. Photo: Courtesy of Sharaka
For Koulli, the way to peace is through cultural exchanges and socializing through music.
“Every night since I’ve been here, we’re getting invited out by different people. Israelis have been so open — even been giving us the keys to their house.”
“I feel totally at home,” he added.
The post ‘I Feel at Home Here’: In the Shadow of War, Moroccan Muslims Visit Israel to Promote Peace first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Vows to Press on with Offensive
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, August 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions non-stop overnight in the areas of Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighborhood and several buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia.
Fire lit the skies from the direction of the explosions, causing panic, prompting some families to stream out of the city. Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces have returned to combat in the Jabalia area in recent days, to dismantle militant tunnels and strengthen control of the area.
It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”
Israel approved a plan this month to seize control of Gaza City, describing it as the last bastion of Hamas. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resume ceasefire talks.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday vowed to press on with the offensive on the city where famine has been declared, which has raised alarm abroad and objections at home. Katz has said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas agrees to end the war on Israel’s terms and release all hostages.
Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City showed it wasn’t serious about a ceasefire.
It said a ceasefire agreement was “the only way to return the hostages,” holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for their lives.
The proposal on the table calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Once a temporary ceasefire begins, the proposal is for Hamas and Israel to begin negotiations on a permanent ceasefire that would include the return of the remaining hostages.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said that Israel would immediately resume negotiations for the release of all 50 hostages – of whom Israel believes around 20 are still living – and an end to the nearly two-year-old war but on terms acceptable to Israel.
‘HUNGRY AND AFRAID’
Around half of the enclave’s two million people currently live in Gaza City. A few thousand have already left, carrying their belongings on vehicles and rickshaws.
“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40, via a chat app. “No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”
Others said they will not leave, no matter what.
“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation, even if they did try to leave. “We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money.”
A global hunger monitor said on Friday that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread. Israel has rejected the assessment and says it ignores steps it has taken since late July to increase aid.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen burst into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
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Iran Signals Willingness to Scale Back Uranium Enrichment to Ease Tensions
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iran may be prepared to significantly reduce its uranium enrichment levels in a bid to stave off renewed UN sanctions and limit the risk of further strikes by Israel and the United States, according to a report published Sunday in The Telegraph.
Citing Iranian sources, the paper said Tehran is considering lowering enrichment from 60% to 20%.
The move is reportedly being championed by Ali Larijani, the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who is holding talks with regime leaders.
“Larijani is trying to convince the system to reduce the level of enrichment in order to avoid further war,” a senior Iranian official told the paper.
The proposal, however, faces stiff resistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has long opposed concessions on the nuclear program. Still, the report suggests Iran’s leadership may be open to greater flexibility, including the possibility of reviving engagement with Western powers.
Last month, i24NEWS reported exclusively that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to travel to Iran. The team of technical experts would seek to resume monitoring of nuclear sites, inspections that have been heavily restricted in recent years.
The development comes amid mounting regional tensions and could represent a critical turning point in the long-running nuclear standoff.
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Major Brush Fire Erupts Near Jerusalem, Evacuations Underway
A view of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train seen over the HaArazim Valley (“Valley of Cedars”) just outside of Jerusalem, Sept. 25, 2018. Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90.
i24 News – A large brush fire broke out Sunday in the Cedars Valley area, near Route 1 and the Motza interchange, prompting an emergency response from Jerusalem district fire services. Several water-bombing planes were dispatched, and authorities have declared a “fire emergency.”
As a precaution, residents of Mevaseret Zion are being evacuated. Access to the town from Route 1 has already been blocked, and officials are weighing a full closure of the major highway.
Fire crews from the Ha’uma station are on site working to contain the flames, while motorists in the area are urged to heed traffic updates and follow instructions from emergency services.
Eight firefighting aircraft are currently operating above the blaze in support of ground teams. The fire comes amid one of the hottest, driest summers on record, with conditions fueling a series of destructive wildfires across the country.
Officials warn the situation remains critical, as the blaze threatens a vital transportation corridor leading into Jerusalem.