Israel–Morocco relations

Israel–Morocco relations
The State of Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco formally established diplomatic relations in 2020, when both sides signed the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement in light of the Abraham Accords. While official ties had previously not existed due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, the two countries maintained a secretive bilateral relationship on a number of fronts following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. For many years, Moroccan king Hassan II facilitated a relationship with Israeli authorities, and these ties are considered to have been instrumental in stabilizing Morocco and striking down possible anti-monarchy threats within the country. The Israeli passport is accepted for entry into Morocco, with a visa granted on arrival. With the bilateral normalization agreement in December 2020, Morocco officially recognized Israeli statehood. Almost three years later, in July 2023, Israel officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
History
Early years
Morocco had a large Jewish population prior to Israel's independence from the British in 1948, and hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews are of Moroccan origin. The 1948 riots of Oujda and Jerada prompted the majority of Moroccan Jews to flee from the country.
Reign of Hassan II (1961–1999)
Under Hassan II, the topic of Israel was highly controversial in Morocco, and for this reason contacts with Israel were only made under the table. During what is known as Operation Yachin, Morocco allowed 97,000 Jews to emigrate to Israel between November 1961 and spring 1964. They, however, only allowed this in exchange for money: Israel paid $100 per immigrant for the first 50,000 Jews, and $250 per immigrant thereafter.
In the 1965 Arab League Summit in Casablanca, Hassan II invited Israeli spies from Shin Bet and Mossad to spy on the other Arab leaders' activities, thus was instrumental in causing the Arabs' defeat to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
In contrast, during the Yom Kippur War, Morocco supported the Arab coalition by sending an expeditionary force of 5,500 men to the Golan and the Sinai.
During 1980s, Hassan II attempted to break the deadlock to recognize Israel by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in Rabat in 1986, but was met with backlash and protests from the Arab League and Moroccans alike, forcing Hassan II to withdraw his attempt. Nonetheless, Hassan II maintained a bond with Peres, and Peres voiced his condolences when Hassan II died in 1999. According to The New York Times some diplomats said the Moroccan king's initiative to meet Mr. Peres, was the product of several factors. One factor, they said, was that King Hassan was increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process, which has been stalemated. Even more important, diplomats said, was King Hassan's unsuccessful efforts to convene an Arab summit meeting here, despite months of maneuvering and overtures to ''moderate'' Arab leaders.
Reign of Mohammed VI (1999–present)
Like late Hassan II, his son King Mohammed VI of Morocco, whose reign began in 1999, maintained unofficial relations with Israel. Mohammed VI's advisor, André Azoulay, is an instrumental Jewish Moroccan who facilitated the growth of Morocco in both economic and political terms.
Morocco also attempted to solve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict by dispatching another Jewish aide close to Israel, Sam Ben Shitrit, to solve the conflict and make peace between the two.
The two countries established low-level diplomatic relations during the 1990s following Israel's interim peace accords with the Palestinian Authority. Until the early 2000s, Morocco operated a liaison office in Tel Aviv and Israel one in Rabat, until they both were closed during the Second Intifada. The two countries have maintained informal ties since then, with an estimated 50,000 Israelis traveling to Morocco each year on trips to learn about the Jewish community and retrace their family histories.
Due to the growing anti-Iranian sentiment on both sides, as both countries have problems with the Iranian regime led by conservative Islamists, Morocco and Israel have sought to make their ties closer. Both countries participated in the US-led February 2019 Warsaw Conference, aimed to be anti-Iranian.
In January 2020, Morocco received three Israeli drones as part of a $48 million arms deal.
Israel–Morocco normalization agreement
Morocco recognizes Israeli sovereignty
In September 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was seeking direct flights between Rabat and Tel Aviv.
On 10 December 2020, Donald Trump announced that Israel and Morocco had agreed to establish full diplomatic relations. Morocco then communicated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu its recognition of Israel. As part of the agreement, the United States agreed to recognize Morocco's Annexation of Western Sahara while urging the parties to "negotiate a mutually acceptable solution" using Morocco's autonomy plan as the only framework.
Joint Declaration of the Kingdom of Morocco, the United States of America and the State of Israel was signed on 22 December 2020.
On 22 December, El Al launched the first direct commercial flight between Israel and Morocco following the normalization agreement. Senior Advisor to the U.S. President Jared Kushner and Israel's National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat were among the high-level officials on board the flight.
On 25 July 2021, two Israeli carriers launched direct commercial flights to Marrakesh from Tel Aviv. On 11 August 2021, Morocco and Israel signed three accords on political consultations, aviation and culture. In November 2021, Morocco and Israel signed a defense agreement.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and King Mohammed VI began a correspondence after the normalization of relations. Herzog sent King Mohammed a letter during Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to Morocco, and the King replied in August 2021 with a letter in which he wrote: “I am convinced that we shall make this momentum sustainable in order to promote the prospects of peace for all peoples in the region.” Herzog also sent condolences to King Mohammed after the tragic death of the little boy Rayan, who died after falling down a well, prompting a high-profile rescue effort.
In 2022, Israel and Morocco agreed to cooperate on sustainable agriculture, and aimed to boost ties in tech. The following year, the two countries agreed to cooperate on desalination and food security projects, signed an MOU to collaborate on aeronautics and Artificial intelligence, aimed to boost bilateral cooperation in the fields of innovation and scientific research, and aimed for closer military and cybersecurity ties.
On May 29, 2023, Miri Regev visited Morocco in an official capacity as the Israeli Transport Minister, marking the first trip by an Israeli Transport Minister to the North African nation. Regev's trip had a personal dimension as her father was born in Morocco, and she planned to light a candle at her late grandfather’s grave in tribute to her Moroccan heritage. The visit drew controversy from several political parties, such as the Democratic Federation of Leftists (FGD), the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), and the Justice and Development Party (PJD), due to their opposition to normalizing relations with Israel. During her visit, Regev met her Moroccan counterpart, Mohammed Abdeljalil, the Minister of Transport and Logistics. They signed three agreements focused on transport cooperation, including mutual recognition of driving licenses, fostering direct maritime transport, and enhancing collaboration on road safety measures and innovation.
Israel recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara
On July 17, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara in a letter to King Mohammed VI. Netanyahu stated that Israel's decision would be applied in all relevant governmental actions and communicated to the United Nations, regional and international organizations, and all countries with which Israel has diplomatic relations. He also expressed a favorable consideration for opening a consulate in the city of Dakhla, located in the Western Sahara.
In September 2023, it was announced that in a historic first, the head of Morocco's Senate, Enaam Mayara, would visit the Israeli Knesset on September 7.
Moroccan Jewish community
Jews have a long historical presence in Morocco, where they are presently the largest Jewish community in the Arab world. The Moroccan government has tolerated its Jewish community, even after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, facilitating the secret tie between Israel and Morocco. Moroccan-organized Jewish emigration to Israel continued while the kingdom still managed to maintain strong ties with the Israeli government through its remaining Jews. Moroccan mellahs (Jewish Quarters) also exist in some cities.
Morocco is the only Arab nation to have a Jewish museum, which has been praised by Moroccans and Jewish communities alike. A large community of Moroccan Jews live around the world.
Post-normalization relationship
Military rapprochement
In July 2022, it was the first time that the Chief of the Israeli Army, Aviv Kochavi, made an official visit to Morocco, strengthening their strategic and military alliance.
In June 2023, Israel participated for the first time in the African Lion military manoeuvres. According to the Israeli military spokesperson, "A delegation of 12 soldiers and officers from the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion left Israel on Sunday to take part in the African Lion 2023 manoeuvres, which are taking place in Morocco". However, the previous year, the Israeli army participated in African Lion as international military observers, which means that its soldiers did not take part in the exercises.
Official visits
On June 7, 2023, Amir Ohana, the leader of the Israeli parliament affiliated with Likud (a right-wing party), made the first official visit to the Moroccan parliament, marking a historic milestone as the first visit to a Muslim country. This visit took place on a symbolic date, referring to the Six-Day War, also known as the Naksa. However, there were also protests held to express opposition to this visit.
See also
Arab–Israeli normalization
History of the Jews in Morocco
Moroccan Jews in Israel
Moroccan Jewish Museum
References
Further reading
Questions about Jewish migrations from Morocco
Research on Moroccan Jewry
Israel–Morocco relations
Bilateral relations of Morocco
Morocco