EIB Pledges €1 Billion for Morocco's Earthquake Recovery Efforts

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend Morocco 1 billion euros over the next three years to support the north African country's reconstruction efforts (AP)
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend Morocco 1 billion euros over the next three years to support the north African country's reconstruction efforts (AP)
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EIB Pledges €1 Billion for Morocco's Earthquake Recovery Efforts

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend Morocco 1 billion euros over the next three years to support the north African country's reconstruction efforts (AP)
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend Morocco 1 billion euros over the next three years to support the north African country's reconstruction efforts (AP)

The European Investment Bank (EIB) said on Wednesday it will lend Morocco 1 billion euros over the next three years to support the north African country's reconstruction efforts after an earthquake that struck the Al Haouz region on September 8.

This financing is completely aligned with Morocco's ambitious national recovery program, which will mobilize €12 billion over the next five years on a post-earthquake reconstruction plan that includes the upgrade of infrastructure, EIB said in a statement.

The loan announcement was made by EIB’s Vice-President, Ricardo Mourinho Felix, after meeting with Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco’s Vice-Minister overseeing the Budget on the margins of the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech.

Also present were Lionel Rapaille, EIB's Director of Operations for EU Neighboring Countries, and Adrien de Bassompierre, the EIB representative in Morocco.

The EIB's contribution is underpinned by a vision of resilience and sustainability, the statement said. It added that funds will be used to repair damage from the earthquake and rebuild better, with a focus on resilient and sustainable infrastructure, leveraging the Bank’s resources and expertise.

“As a long-standing partner of Morocco, we aim not just to rebuild what was lost, but also to contribute to laying the foundations for a brighter, stronger and more resilient future across all the regions in Morocco affected by the September earthquake,” said Ricardo Félix, who is responsible for financing in Morocco.

“Our role as the EU bank is not just about providing financing, it is also a strong commitment to advancing development, and supporting resilience and climate action hand-in-hand with our partners,” he added.

 

 



Far-Right Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Visits Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound

 Palestinians attend Eid al-Fitr holiday celebrations by the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians attend Eid al-Fitr holiday celebrations by the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP)
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Far-Right Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Visits Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound

 Palestinians attend Eid al-Fitr holiday celebrations by the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians attend Eid al-Fitr holiday celebrations by the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP)

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, his spokesperson said, prompting strong condemnation from Jordan and Palestinian group Hamas.

The firebrand politician was visiting the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, in occupied east Jerusalem after returning to the Israeli government last month following the resumption of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Ben-Gvir had quit the cabinet in January in protest at the ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian territory.

Since the formation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government at the end of 2022, Ben-Gvir has made several trips to the Al-Aqsa compound, each time triggering international outcry.

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned Wednesday’s visit as a “storming” and “an unacceptable provocation.”

Hamas called it a “provocative and dangerous escalation,” saying the visit was “part of the ongoing genocide against our Palestinian people.”

“We call on our Palestinian people and our youth in the West Bank to escalate their confrontation... in defense of our land and our sanctities, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” it said in a statement.

The site is Islam’s third-holiest and a symbol of Palestinian national identity.

Known to Jews as the Temple Mount, it is also Judaism’s holiest place, revered as the site of the second temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Under the status quo maintained by Israel, which has occupied east Jerusalem and its Old City since 1967, Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the compound during specified hours, but they are not permitted to pray there or display religious symbols.

Ben-Gvir’s spokesperson told AFP the minister “went there because the site was opened (for non-Muslims) after 13 days,” during which access was reserved for Muslims for the festival of Eid al-Fitr and the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In recent years, growing numbers of Jewish ultranationalists have defied the rules, including Ben-Gvir, who publicly prayed there in 2023 and 2024.

The Israeli government has said repeatedly that it intends to uphold the status quo at the compound but Palestinian fears about its future have made it a flashpoint for violence.