King Mohammed VI of Morocco visiting the synagogue at the Bayt Dakira Jewish heritage center. Photo: Official handout.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has announced the reorganization of the country’s Jewish community into three distinct institutions, with the purpose of responding “to the wishes of the Jews of Morocco, from here and elsewhere, to regain their place in the concert of the nation.”

The king made his announcement following a meeting of his Council of Ministers on Wednesday, naming three new bodies that will coordinate between the 3,000 Jews who remain the the North African nation and the much larger diaspora in Israel, the US and Europe. Morocco established diplomatic relations with the Jewish state in 2020.

According to the Moroccan news outlet Al Ahdath, the day-to-day affairs of the community will be run by the National Council of the Moroccan Jewish Community, while external relations will be managed by the Commission of Moroccan Jews Abroad. A third body, the Moroccan Judaism Foundation, is tasked with preserving and promoting the religious and cultural heritage of the community.

The restructuring of the Jewish community was announced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, acting on “royal instruction.”

Opposition to the announcement was expressed by the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization, whose founder claimed that King Mohammed’s goal was the resettlement of more than one million Jews in the country.

“We are establishing a new Israel in Morocco, and there is no exaggeration in that,” Ahmed Wehman said.

He added: “The Moroccan people reject this American domination and the Zionist tyranny which tries to impose its will. We are resisting, and I expect a new era to begin soon in Morocco — a reality that seeks to impose Zionism and a people that resists.”