Israel and Morocco agree to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Minister Gideon Saar held a tripartite meeting in New York with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, to discuss steps aimed at strengthening relations between Israel and Morocco.

The ministry said that the participants affirmed their commitment to a set of measures, including raising the level of diplomatic relations between Israel and Morocco, and added that Saar and Bourita later held a bilateral meeting.

According to the statement, the two sides agreed to expand flights between Israel and Morocco to include flights operated by Moroccan airlines, to be implemented by the end of the same year.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also expressed its appreciation for the American role in holding the meeting and supporting the strengthening of relations between the two parties. The statement quoted Sa'ar as saying that the declaration outlines practical steps to improve relations, and that Israel will work to implement it.

The meeting came a day after an event held by the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, at his residence on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords, with the participation of representatives from the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Israel, and the United States.

The Israeli-Moroccan announcement of new steps to strengthen diplomatic relations and economic cooperation comes at a time when Moroccan cities are witnessing continuing protests denouncing the war on Gaza and rejecting normalization with Israel. Since the outbreak of the war, demonstrations have taken place in which political, civil and trade union forces participated, demanding the cessation of military operations and the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip. They also called for an end to relations with Israel, in a paradox that highlights the discrepancy between the orientations of official foreign policy and the positions of sectors of the Moroccan street.

Despite this popular movement, Rabat continued to maintain its diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, which resumed in 2020 within the course of the Abraham Accords. The Moroccan government has affirmed in previous positions its support for the rights of the Palestinians and the call to stop the war, while it did not announce the withdrawal of the Moroccan ambassador or the severing of relations.

The tripartite meeting comes to add practical steps to the normalization process, including upgrading diplomatic missions to the level of embassies and appointing ambassadors, in addition to agreements to protect investment, prevent double taxation, and expand flights.