Upon the return of Mohammed V and the consequent declaration of Morocco as an independent state in 1956, the Jews were granted Moroccan citizenship but with fewer freedoms than the dominant Muslim population, including restrictions on traveling abroad. Following pressures exerted by the Arab league in 1959, Jewish emigration became prohibited if the destination for their immigration was Israel, and therefore the immigration for the most-part took place illegally by means of the underground Jewish organization in Morocco, via Spain and France. Mossad and HIAS made a deal with King Hassan II to clandestinely transport Moroccan Jews to Israel in Operation Yachin, between 1961 and 1964; the peak of Moroccan immigration to Israel was in those 3 years.
