Israeli Lobby's Control Over Morocco’s Press Council: How Did This Happen and What Are the Implications?

“Pro-Israel” and pro-normalization groups continue to wield influence within several Moroccan institutions, including the press sector and the body that regulates it, amid repeated warnings about the implications of this trajectory for the country’s national security.

The announcement of Mokhtar Laghzioui’s election as president of the National Press Council sparked criticism among a number of journalists and activists who support the Palestinian cause and human rights, and from organizations opposed to normalization.

Laghzioui is editor-in-chief of Al-Ahdath al-Maghribia, a newspaper owned by Ahmed Charai, who is known for his statement, “We are all Israelis.” 

Laghzioui has also been known for his pro-normalization positions and opposition to the resistance, in addition to adopting views that conflict with Islamic values and morals.

In a statement issued by the council on September 21, 2026, it said that the election of the president and vice president came as part of the completion of the process of forming and inaugurating the National Press Council.

The statement added that Mokhtar Laghzioui received 11 votes, compared with three for Abdellah Bakkali, while three members abstained.

According to the statement, nominations were subsequently opened for the position of vice president. Hanan Rahab put forward her candidacy and received 11 votes, while three members abstained and another three left the meeting room.

Public Reactions

The announcement triggered numerous reactions, including from political activist Sami Souldah, who said that the other side of Laghzioui, now heading the self-regulatory body entrusted, among other responsibilities, with protecting press freedom in Morocco, is that he is a former employee of the Israeli Liaison Office in Rabat, which the country’s king closed in 2001.

In a Facebook post dated September 21, Soulda added that “Mokhtar was the one who organized a trip for five journalists to the illegitimate entity in 2018.”

He continued, “He is the publishing director of Al-Ahdath Al-Maghribia, meaning he is an employee working for Charai, who wants to control the 2026 government.”

Lawyer and human rights activist Abdelilah Tachefyn commented on the development, saying, “The final nail has been driven into the coffin of the journalism profession. It has become Zionized, and that is that.”

Tachefyn continued in a post on his Facebook account, “May God help the free and independent press.”

Writer and activist Khaled Elmahdaoui ElBakkali focused on views he described as hostile to a number of religious and moral principles that Laghzioui openly defends. 

These include a widely publicized statement in which Laghzioui said, “I have no problem with my sister, mother, or daughter having consensual relationships outside marriage.”

In a Facebook post, ElBakkali added, “This is the new president of the National Press Council, appointed by Zionist entities whose identities we do not know.”

He stressed that certain parties provide a political haven for those he described as misfits, seeking to place them at the helm of sensitive institutions with significant influence on society.

He continued, “They are selling the homeland off in installments. Nothing is worse than the betrayal of the media and the treachery of pens. Treacherous bullets may kill individuals, but a treacherous pen can devastate entire nations.”

A Dangerous Convergence

Within the journalistic and media sector, the Facebook page INFOS PRO MA stated in a post dated September 21, 2026, that Laghzioui’s election as president of the National Press Council was a move that once again highlighted a dangerous overlap between the media, politics, and normalization with “Israel”.

The page added, “This move further strengthens the influence of Global Media Holding and its owner, Ahmed Charai, a controversial figure known for his staunch support for the Zionist project in Morocco.”

The same source continued, “Charai, the man behind the provocative slogan ‘We are all Israelis’ and the founder of Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, recently launched in Israel, is also known as the media godfather supporting Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri (the ‘Tractor’ Party) in her ambition to become prime minister.”

In an editorial dated September 21, 2026, the website Express TV said the election of the National Press Council’s bureau raised serious questions about the balance of power within the professional body. 

Mokhtar Laghzioui, who is affiliated with Al-Ahdath al-Maghribia, was elected president of the council, while Hanan Rahab, who is affiliated with the same media outlet, was elected vice president.

The website added that this arrangement places two influential leadership positions in the hands of two people affiliated with the same newspaper, bringing the debate over pluralism and fairness in the distribution of responsibilities within the press corps back to the forefront.

The website continued, “The question raised by this outcome is not about the individuals themselves so much as the logic behind managing an institution that is supposed to represent the various components of Moroccan journalism, rather than leave the impression that the keys to its leadership are concentrated within a single media organization.”

It went on to ask, “How can journalists be convinced that genuine professional balance exists when the positions of president and vice president are held by people affiliated with the same newspaper, while the national media landscape encompasses numerous institutions, professional backgrounds, and viewpoints?”

The website stressed that the use of a public vote rather than a secret ballot to elect the president and vice president had raised concerns that the procedure might have been intended to secure outcomes serving the interests and objectives of particular parties, rather than allowing members to express their choices freely and independently.

It emphasized that what had happened undermines the atmosphere of trust that should govern the election of the bureau of a professional body whose members’ independence and freedom of choice are supposed to be respected and guaranteed.

The website also stressed that the National Press Council is not an extension of any newspaper’s editorial operations, nor is it a platform for entrenching the influence of a particular media organization. Rather, it is a body whose legitimacy should derive from balanced representation and independent decision-making.

Meanwhile, journalist Miloud Abo said that the matter is no longer simply about electing a new president of the National Press Council; it is a moment marking the declared dismantling of the entire Moroccan press system as we have known it.

In a Facebook post, Abo argued that the 11 votes received by Laghzioui had granted legitimacy to someone who, he believed, should have been kept outside the profession.

“We are not witnessing the legitimacy of the press corps, but rather the legitimacy of backroom deals, the legitimacy of cheerleaders who endorsed the transformation from the people’s press into the Moroccan version of Yedioth Ahronoth.”

He continued, “We used to write in the letters of the Arabic language, the language of martyrs and resistance, but today we are being told to write in Hebrew letters. We used to say ‘Assalamu alaikum’, but today we are being asked to say ‘Shalom’.”

Abo went on to say, “The pens, ink, paper, and even the decisions now come from Haifa. This is no longer merely normalization; it is the wholesale transfer of the printing press, the mind, and the conscience over there. They told us the council was independent, only for it to be run according to the logic of a liaison office. They told us it was self-regulation, only for it to become Zionist regulation of the profession.”

He concluded, “From today onward, our press is no longer Moroccan. From today onward, the ink we write with is imported, the paper is imported, the ideas are imported, and the president is imported. Enough said. The press has been demolished.”

A Tool in the Hands of Zionism

Commenting on the outcome of the election, a senior figure in the Islamist opposition Justice and Development Party (PJD) said that “the composition of the newly formed National Press Council confirms that Morocco is intended to be monopolized by supporters of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) and the Zionist lobby.”

Mohammed El-Hilali told Al-Estiklal that the communications minister belongs to the same party and had paved the way for this outcome through a new law imposed on the press corps with the support of the parliamentary majority, which he described as one that exercises control.

He stressed that Laghzioui’s appointment as head of the National Press Council confirms that self-regulation of the profession is now a thing of the past and that the council has become a tool in the hands of Zionism.

Al-Hilali also warned that holding a public vote rather than a secret ballot to elect the council’s president amounted to direct intimidation of voters and demonstrated that Laghzioui and those backing him were unwilling to accept another candidate chosen by the members.

He continued by asking whether it was a coincidence that the council’s president and vice president, both affiliated with Ahmed Charai’s media organization, had been placed at the very top of Morocco’s press institution. He stressed that this was no coincidence.

El-Hilali argued that these developments lead to a clear and practical conclusion promoted by Charai and his associates: that Morocco belongs to them and no one else. He stressed that what was happening represented a profound humiliation for the press corps and the country’s active forces.

Al-Hilali said Laghzioui had previously brought international disgrace upon the press corps and Moroccans when he spoke of being willing to accept his sister, mother, or daughter engaging in sexual relations outside marriage, describing this as public cuckoldry.

He continued that Laghzioui had not even respected the law criminalizing public sexual relations. Moreover, in his discourse on rights and freedoms, he focused exclusively on what are known as individual liberties, which, in his view, amount to moral permissiveness, without addressing political freedoms that support genuine democracy.

Al-Hilali said the president of the National Press Council should respect the choices and convictions of the broader journalistic community, whose members believe in Islam as the state religion, a faith that does not accept such ideas and views.

For this reason, al-Hilali argued that Charai, Laghzioui, and their associates wanted to sever Moroccans’ ties with their roots, culture, and foundations. He said this would greatly benefit the Zionist entity by serving its agenda of infiltrating the country.

Al-Hilali also noted that Laghzioui’s election came amid an ongoing campaign targeting principled journalists and those who are a nuisance to the authorities.

Some, he said, had been forced to emigrate abroad, while others had turned to YouTube activism. He argued that this pressure on serious journalism was intended to bring supporters of “Israel” and corruption to the forefront and, consequently, to gain control over institutions.

“Today, Morocco is being stolen from its people little by little, and there are attempts to sever it from its spiritual strength, which is the foundation of its unity, continuity, and power,” said the party official, political activist, and human rights activist.

He concluded that the true role of journalism is to confront those in power in the interests of the people, citizens, the public good, and the Constitution. He argued that the council’s president and vice president had failed in this regard, adding that the situation Morocco had reached as a result of this election was deeply painful.

Consistent Zionization

It is worth noting that, in October 2023, Laghzioui published an article in Al-Ahdath al-Maghribia about the courage of peace and the cowardice of killing. The article attributed the act of killing solely to Hamas and incited against the movement, portraying it as the unjust aggressor and “Israel” as the wronged and helpless victim.

The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) responded to Laghzioui’s remarks at the time with an article stating that, through this piece and other analyses, the writer had contributed to spreading disinformation against the Palestinians, particularly Hamas, and to promoting Zionist propaganda, as was customary for him and his newspaper. The party said he displayed great courage in collaborating with “Israel” but was submissively cowardly when it came to objectivity.

In a statement published on its official website, the party continued, “The aforementioned writer displayed complete boldness in Zionizing, while showing abject cowardice when it came to objectivity. Objectivity requires him, as long as he claims to be a supporter of peace, to speak about Hamas in accordance with the demands of peace, without ulterior motives or preconceived judgments.”

It went on, “Since that is not the case, despite his claims, he and his master are immersed in every form of Zionism and sycophancy toward Israel. This is what led his master, in a previous article, to call for the extermination of the entire Gaza Strip, including its innocent people and civilians.”

The website added, “Of course, such words do not come from someone who genuinely seeks peace. Rather, ‘peace’ is merely a grand slogan behind which they conceal their interests and an excuse for spewing their poison, inciting killing, and taking pleasure in prolonging the conflict for as long as they can continue to benefit from it. These people thrive in troubled waters and feed on political divisions, wars, and crises.”

It continued that they repeatedly invoke peace because they know that, once the Palestinian issue is resolved, their role will come to an end and “Israel” will no longer need their services. This, the party argued, explains why they attack anyone who disagrees with them, seeking to maximize their benefits for as long as possible. 

They brand such people with accusations of terrorism, encouraging killing, and opposing peace to frighten and intimidate them, and to deter them from speaking out and asserting their right to express the truth, lest they jeopardize their deal or lose their appetite for boldly defending Zionism.

The party argued that, whenever these individuals discuss the reality of the Palestinian cause, they align themselves with the Zionist narrative and normalize relations with it as though it were the truth. 

Yet, it said, a review of history and the work of historians would reveal a stark reality: that the Zionist entity seeks to seize Palestinian land and has committed, and continues to commit, countless acts of genocide.

In its response, the party recalled that Palestinians had tried every means of diplomatic negotiation and peace treaties to recover their land, but that “Israel” had always been the first to violate them. After all these years, it argued, Palestinians had become convinced that what was taken by force could only be recovered by force. 

This, it added, was not a position held by Hamas alone, but one that all resistance factions, across their different orientations and affiliations, had come to embrace.

The party concluded, “Every time, we may make a sincere effort to believe these people who benefit from slogans such as ‘khawa khawa’ (‘brothers, brothers’) and ‘Israel is a force for peace’. Yet they surprise us with statements that neither reason, spirit, nor conscience can accept, exposing the extent to which they contradict their own bombastic, false, and discredited slogans.”