The foreign ministers of Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade diplomatic ties, including opening embassies and appointing ambassadors, according to a statement Wednesday by the official Israeli government account in Arabic on X.
Nasser Bourita © Mena Today
The foreign ministers of Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade diplomatic ties, including opening embassies and appointing ambassadors, according to a statement Wednesday by the official Israeli government account on X.
Morocco was one of four Arab countries - along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan - to move toward normalizing relations with Israel in 2020 under US-engineered accords. Israel separately has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.
The deals had fueled Palestinian concerns over the viability of a long-standing pan-Arab position calling for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory and acceptance of Palestinian statehood in return for normal relations with Arab countries.
The statement said a tripartite meeting was held in New York between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, and US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz.
The officials affirmed commitment to a series of steps aimed at advancing ties between Israel and Morocco, including "elevating their respective diplomatic missions to the level of embassies, and appointing ambassadors," according to the statement.
They also agreed to expand flights between Israel and Morocco, with direct routes expected to resume within weeks, after Royal Air Maroc suspended its Casablanca-Tel Aviv service following the October 7, 2023 attack, and to work on finalizing agreements aimed at facilitating mutual investments and economic and trade ties, including on investment protection and the avoidance of double taxation, to be completed by the end of 2026.
A decision driven by King Mohammed VI
This decision is understood to reflect the will of King Mohammed VI, who has steered Morocco's normalization process with Israel since it was first launched in December 2020.
As part of the accompanying arrangements, the United States and Israel reaffirmed their support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and for Rabat's autonomy plan as the basis for resolving the decades-old territorial dispute.
"The friendship between the Moroccan people and the Jewish people has deep roots and a glorious history," Saar said. "The declaration we signed today details practical ways to upgrade ties between Israel and Morocco for the benefit of both peoples, and we will work to implement it."
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