Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday obtained an invite from King Mohammed VI to go to Morocco, Netanyahu’s workplace stated, laying the groundwork for the primary such high-level go to for the reason that normalization of relations between the 2 international locations in late 2020 and heralding a potential deepening of diplomatic and safety ties.
A date for the go to has not but been set, however Israel’s nationwide safety adviser and Morocco’s overseas minister have agreed to agree on a date for the go to “within the close to future,” based on Mr. Netanyahu’s workplace.
The information is more likely to spur Mr. Netanyahu at the same time as his right-wing authorities’s insurance policies, together with growth of settlements within the occupied West Financial institution and a extra aggressive stance in direction of the Palestinians, have fueled tensions within the area.
Correspondence between King Mohammed and Mr. Netanyahu additionally seems to be proof of an easing of latest tensions between Morocco and Israel. This summer season, Morocco postponed a long-awaited diplomatic summit with Israel in protest towards the settlement insurance policies of Mr. Netanyahu’s hardline authorities and amid outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence within the occupied West Financial institution.
King Mohammed wrote to Mr. Netanyahu that the assembly between them might be “a possibility to advance the prospects for peace for all of the peoples within the area” on the premise of ideas that “ought to underlie the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian battle.”
Mr. Netanyahu’s workplace stated the invitation got here in a “heat, private” letter thanking Israel for its choice this week to acknowledge Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The Moroccan Overseas Ministry launched elements of the letter praising Israel’s recognition and its choice to contemplate opening a consulate within the Western Sahara metropolis of Dakhla as “truthful and far-sighted.”
The King added that Mr. Netanyahu is “invited to go to Morocco on a mutually agreed date to be decided via diplomatic channels,” because the King stated in a December 2020 telephone name. The king confirmed that the assembly in Morocco “will open up new alternatives for bilateral relations between Morocco and Israel.”
Reaffirming the rising safety ties between the 2 international locations, Israel just lately appointed its first navy attaché to Morocco, and a delegation of Israeli troopers and commanders took half in a global navy train in Morocco in June.
The deal, brokered by the US in 2020, which led to the normalization of Moroccan diplomatic relations with Israel, included recognition by the Trump administration of Morocco’s declare to Western Sahara, the place the Polisario Entrance fought for independence for many years.
Many Israeli Jews are initially from Morocco and have been flocking to the nation lately seeking “roots”. Yair Lapid visited the nation in his capability as Israeli Overseas Minister in 2021. In Might, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev visited Morocco and signed bilateral agreements there along with her colleague on points reminiscent of recognition of driver’s licenses and maritime commerce relations.
Traditionally, Israel and Morocco have quietly cooperated within the navy and intelligence spheres for many years, even within the absence of official ties. The 2 international locations established diplomatic relations of poor high quality after Israel reached momentary agreements with the Palestine Liberation Group within the Nineties, however Morocco severed them amid violence throughout the second Palestinian rebellion that broke out in 2000.
