The Israeli government has formally approved a deal to bolster ties with Morocco.
Following the official endorsement by the Israeli cabinet, the pact will now be submitted to the Knesset for parliamentary ratification.
The Israel-Morocco agreement to normalize relations was announced on 10 December 2020. It was the fourth such pact under the Abraham Accords mediated by the United States, following deals between Israel with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.
250,000 Jews from Morocco immigrated to Israel, representing the largest number from any Muslim country.
Jerusalem and Rabat agreed to the swift reopening of diplomatic missions in one another’s nations during the visit of a high-level Israeli-US delegation in December. Israeli National Security Advis0r Meir Ben-Shabbat and Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor and son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump, traveled to Morocco aboard the first-ever commercial flight from Israel for talks with top officials including King Mohammed VI.
Israel’s Ministry of Economy has also revealed this week that agreement has been reached with Morocco to promote bilateral trade and economic collaboration in fields including regulation and innovation. These deals are expected to be formally signed in about two weeks.
Palestinians have condemned the Abraham Accords as a “betrayal” of their long-standing demand that Israel first submit to their aspirations for statehood.
Many of Israel’s new partners have also enjoyed bilateral benefits from Washington. In Rabat’s case, the US recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed-Western Sahara.