The case of Nassim Khalibat, an Israeli citizen, recently surfaced in Moroccan and international media, fueling speculation and political manipulation, particularly from obsessive actors who seek to discredit Morocco. This affair, although it is linked to an extradition request from Israel, was strongly taken up by certain parties hostile to the Shereef kingdom, notably Algeria, which is sinking into political conspiracy.
An Israeli (not Palestinian) citizen at the heart of an extradition request
Israeli authorities had requested the extradition of Nassim Khalibat, aged 21 and accused, along with his brother and another family member, of planting an explosive device at the Ministry of Health in Nazareth on November 8, 2021. If the seriousness of the incident is indisputable, the context and motivations of the attack are still unclear. Initial investigations by the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, suggested that the explosion may have been the result of a personal dispute and not an act of violence motivated by Arab-Israeli politics. Thus, the accusations against Khalibat, although serious, do not seem to be linked to geopolitical issues, but to a family conflict, making the escalation surrounding the affair by certain actors even more blatant.
The political hijacking of this file occurred when Khalibat was arrested in January 2023 in Rabat, a year after his flight from Israel. Tel Aviv, despite not having a formal extradition treaty with Morocco, transmitted an urgent extradition request. Despite the absence of specific legal agreements between the two countries on this point, Morocco took the time to examine the request within the framework of its international obligations. However, Moroccan authorities have exercised caution. A Moroccan judge only recently issued a ruling in favor of extradition, which was carried out.
This sequence of events was largely amplified and manipulated in certain circles, notably by conspiratorial circles as well as by anti-Semitic figures fiercely opposed to the resumption of relations between Morocco and Israel. Algeria, in particular, took this opportunity to launch a media campaign against Morocco. Khalibat’s case was a boon for opponents of the Morocco-Israel axis, who relayed, through well-known media, a distorted version of history. The latter in fact insisted on the “political” nature of the case, insinuating that the arrest of Khalibat, falsely presented as a Palestinian resistance fighter, would in reality be a response from Rabat to pressure from Israel and not a legal procedure in accordance with to international standards. By fueling this narrative, shameless arguments have been put forward to accuse Morocco of “servility” towards the Jewish state, without taking into account the legal reality of the extradition request.
The truth about Khalibat’s arrest and detention
Furthermore, Khalibat’s lawyers criticized the fact that the Israeli consul did not visit their client, which nevertheless constitutes a diplomatic obligation. Rabat has always respected its commitments in terms of international law and judicial cooperation. It is also important to emphasize that Morocco, as a sovereign state, remains in control of its judicial decisions and has acted in accordance with the principles of its judicial system. The execution of extradition is rather a meticulous process that respects the rules in force.
Finally, it is crucial to put this matter in its regional context. Algeria, isolated, which maintains an anti-Israeli foreign policy, uses every opportunity to try to question Morocco’s diplomatic decisions. This is not the first time that the Algiers regime has attempted to distort the reality of diplomatic relations and Morocco’s sovereign choices.
