Israel–Morocco relations

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Israel - Morocco relations
Map indicating locations of Morocco and Israel

Morocco
Israel

Israeli-Moroccan relations are the official relations between the State of Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco.

While Morocco did not until 2020[1] recognize Israel as a state, the two countries had long maintained informal ties since Hassan II. The Israeli passport is accepted for entry into Morocco with a visa granted on arrival.[2] On 10 December 2020, Israel and Morocco agreed to establish diplomatic relations, becoming the sixth Arab league member to recognise Israel and the fourth in the space of four months, along with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan.[3] It then communicated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu its recognition of Israel.[1]

History[]

Early years[]

Morocco had a large Jewish population prior to Israel's establishment in 1948, and hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews have lineage that traces to Morocco.[4] The 1948 riots of Oujda and Jerada prompted the majority of Moroccan Jews to flee from the country.[5]

Reign of Moroccan King Hassan II[]

King of Morocco Hassan II

Under Hassan II, it was controversial due to his secret connection with Israel. 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' humiliating defeat to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.[6]

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.[7] Nonetheless, Hassan II maintained a bond with Peres, and Peres voiced his condolences when Hassan II died in 1999.[8] Accirding to The New York Times some diplomats said [9] 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 Moroccan King Mohammed VI[]

King of Morocco Mohammed VI

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.[10]

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.[11]

The two countries established low-level diplomatic relations during the 1990s following Israel's interim peace accords with the Palestinians, which were suspended after the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. The two countries have maintained informal ties since then, with an estimated 50,000 Israelis (moroccan jewish) traveling to Morocco each year on trips to learn about the Jewish community and retrace their family histories.[12]

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.[13]

Visit of American-Israeli delegation to Rabat, December 2020

In January 2020, Morocco received three Israeli drones as part of a $48 million arms deal.[14]

In September 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was seeking direct flights between Rabat and Tel Aviv.[15]

On 10 December 2020, Donald Trump announced that Israel and Morocco had agreed to establish full diplomatic relations.[3] Morocco then communicated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu its recognition of Israel.[1] 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.[16]

On 25 July 2021, two Israeli carriers launched direct commercial flights to Marrakesh from Tel Aviv.[17] On 11 August 2021, Morocco and Israel signed three accords on political consultations, aviation and culture.[18]

Jews in Morocco[]

Main article: History of the Jews in Morocco

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 still manage to maintain strong ties with the Israeli government through its remaining Jews.[19] 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.[20]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Trump announces Morocco and Israel will normalize relations". Arab News. December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  2. ^ Mhajne, Anwar. "What it's like to travel the world as a Palestinian on an Israeli passport". Quartz. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Israel, Morocco agree to normalize relations in latest U.S.-brokered deal". reuters.com. 11 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  4. ^ Ray Hanania (December 10, 2020). "Trump announces Morocco and Israel will normalize relations". Arab News. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  5. ^ "Oujda & Djerada Victims". www.sephardicgen.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  6. ^ "Mossad listened in on Arab states' preparations for Six-Day War". 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  7. ^ Miller, Judith; Times, Special To the New York (July 23, 1986). "Peres and Hassan in Talks; Syria Breaks Moroccan Ties". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Gregory, Joseph R. (July 24, 1999). "Hassan II of Morocco Dies at 70; A Monarch Oriented to the West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  9. ^ Miller, Judith (23 July 1986). "Peres and Hassan in Talks; Syria Breaks Moroccan Ties". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  10. ^ News, Morocco World (October 16, 2017). "André Azoulay: Audrey Azoulay 'Deservedly' Won UNESCO Chief Vote". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  11. ^ Wootliff, Raoul. "'Morocco's king dispatches Jewish aide to push Israeli-Palestinian talks'". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  12. ^ "Israel, Morocco agree to normalise relations in US-brokered deal". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  13. ^ Koundouno, Tamba François (February 18, 2019). "Spotlight on Rumored Morocco-Israel Normalization after Alleged Secret Meeting". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  14. ^ "Rabat dispose enfin de ses drones israéliens". Intelligence Online (in French). 29 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  15. ^ "After UAE and Bahrain deals, Trump said aiming for direct Israel-Morocco flights". Times of Israel. 12 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  16. ^ "First Israel-Morocco Direct Commercial Flight Takes Off". Barron's. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Israeli airlines start direct flights to Morocco after improved ties". Reuters. 25 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  18. ^ "Morocco, Israel Sign Cooperation Agreements". Asharq Al-Awsat. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Return To Morocco - PalestineRemix". interactive.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  20. ^ Cohen, Alecia. "Museum of Moroccan Judaism (Jewish Museum) in Casablanca". Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-27.

Further reading[]

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