Israel: Netanyahu aide insults Moroccan Jews
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) with his spokesman Ziv Agmon (right) before boarding a plane in Washington on February 12, 2026. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Israeli-Moroccan ties could be under scrutiny as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aide is recorded making racist remarks against Moroccan Jews, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on March 25th.
Ziv Agmon, Netanyahu’s personal spokesperson and interim chief of staff, was recorded making statements about Mizrahi Jews, who are of North African and Middle Eastern heritage and are among members of the ruling Likud Party.
Likud is part of a coalition government that also features the far-right Jewish Power Party and the Religious Zionism Party.
The Likud Party has faced increased criticism in recent years, with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accusing Netanyahu of leading Israel to “chaos.”
Agmon was recorded saying, “It’s not good that Morocco was opened for Israeli tourism. Now we know [where] our Moroccans are from. From Africa. [A] Baboon is a monkey.”
He also called Likud MP Nissim Vaturi a “baboon” and called MP Eliyahu Revivo a “retarded Moroccan”; both men are of Mizrahi descent.
Despite his heritage, Vaturi has praised Jewish supremacist terrorist Meir Kahane, saying, “[Likud leaders] should have examined the matters and understood one thing: Arabs on our border, terrorists on our border.”
These comments came at a time when Israeli-Moroccan relations have flourished, particularly since 2020 when the Abraham Accords helped normalise ties.
Although Israel’s “Law of Return” grants citizenship to Jews regardless of their background, Jews of Ashkenazi (European) heritage are usually privileged over Mizrahi Jews in the racial hierarchy.
On February 18th, Knesset member Dan Illouz, who is of Moroccan heritage, praised ties between the countries, describing relations as “the reopening of the doors of our family home,” adding that one million Jewish-Israelis of Moroccan descent act as a “living bridge”
King Mohammed VI accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the “Board of Peace” in Gaza in January, despite public condemnation in Morocco.
Similarly, the invitation was accepted despite concerns over the board’s lack of Palestinian representation, which some argue undermines the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Israeli-Moroccan ties have persisted for decades, with King Hassan II secretly meeting with then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in Rabat in 1986.
Furthermore, King Hassan II allegedly facilitated the emigration of Moroccan Jews to Israel, which Israel encourages to maintain a Jewish demographic majority.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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