Moroccan-Israeli Relations

Moroccan-Israeli Relations

Background/Context:

• Morocco has one of the largest Jewish populations in the MENA region with over 3,000 Jewish people.
• A million Jews in Israel claim Moroccan ancestry.
• Before COVID, over 70,000 Israelis visited Morocco every year.  
• Morocco and Israel intelligence services have had a longstanding, unofficial relationship for over 60 years.

Timeline of Important Events:

• 1994: Morocco begins diplomatic ties with Israel after the signing of Oslo I. (Throughout the 1990s, Morocco and Israel had a low level diplomatic relationship).
• October 23, 2000: The second Palestinian Intifada led Morocco to break diplomatic ties with Israel.
• September 1, 2003: Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom visited Morocco and met King Mohammed VI.
• December 10, 2020: Morocco resumes diplomatic relations with Israel and restarts direct flights between the countries. (President Trump recognized Morocco’s claim over the Western Sahara in exchange for the normalization of ties with Israel. However, Morocco’s 1975 annexation of the Western Sahara is not recognized by the United Nations.)
• July 1, 2021: In a State Department press briefing, it was confirmed that President Biden maintained the position of recognizing Moroccan claims of sovereignty over the Western Sahara. 
• July 17, 2021: A cyber defense accord signed between the director of the Israeli cyber directorate and his Moroccan counterpart over operational cooperation, research and development, and information sharing. 
• August 2021: Israeli Foreign Minister Lapid’s visit marks the first visit to Morocco since 2003. 
• August 11, 2021: Morocco and Israel sign an air service agreement and an agreement to cooperate in the fields of culture, sport and youth and sign an memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize political consultation mechanisms between the two countries.
• August 12, 2021: The Israeli Liaison Office opens in Rabat as part of F.M. Lapid’s visit and both countries announce intentions to open embassies in their respective countries within two months.

Regional Response:

• Algeria compares Morocco’s actions in the Western Sahara to that of Israel with the Palestinians.  
• The Israeli Foreign minister expressed concern over Algeria growing closer to Iran as Morocco and Israel solidify their relationship.
• Palestinian officials heavily criticized the Israeli normalization deals by saying that they perpetuate Israeli occupation over the Palestinian territories.