Operation Yachin was an operation led by Israel's Mossad in coordination with the Moroccan state to discreetly emigrate Moroccan Jews to Israel between November 1961 and spring 1964. Prior to Operation Yachin, emigration had taken place illicitly, facilitated by the Mossad and Jewish Agency, but discouraged by the Moroccan government. The Misgeret division of the Mossad utilized much of the infrastructure from the illicit emigration operations of the 1950's to now legally import Moroccan Jews with the permission of Hassan II into Israel. From the time of Moroccan independence in 1956 to 1961 some 29,400 Jews had been illicitly emigrated out of Morocco to Israel, but this did not quite meet the influx demand of Israeli authorities. Alex Gatmon of the Mossad and who was assisted by the Jewish Agency, negotiated with representatives of Hassan II's government to work out an emigration policy that would allow Moroccan Jews to make Aliyah with approval and support from the Moroccan monarchy. This would allow Israel to continue to sustain its substantial population growth that was considered necessary to maintain its survival. In the arrangement between Israeli intelligence and Hassan II, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), an American organization, paid King Hassan II of Morocco a per capita fee for every Moroccan Jew who migrated to Israel. About 90,000 to 97,000 Moroccan Jews left for Israel by plane and ship from Casablanca and Tangier via France and Italy.