The Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, invited his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, to visit "Israel" following a virtual meeting that also included US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

According to Israeli media, the Moroccan Foreign Minister expressed his plans to visit "Israel" and meet Lapid, to celebrate the first anniversary of the normalization of Israeli-Moroccan relations. 

For his part, Blinken referred to the Moroccan ties with the occupation state as "an achievement that has deepened ties, partnerships and avenues to pursue shared goals."

He believed that the agreement between Morocco and "Israel" opened the door to military cooperation and trade relations, adding that it is "a positive step for the region as we aim to widen the circle of peace."

We congratulate Israel and Morocco on the first anniversary of normalization of relations. This is an achievement that has deepened ties, partnerships, and avenues to pursue shared goals. It is also a positive step for the region as we aim to widen the circle of peace. pic.twitter.com/CTONQenDBP

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 22, 2021

Blinken stressed that the agreement between the two parties "led to the opening of direct flights between Morocco and "Israel", with an average of 10 flights per week now, which was not the case a year ago."

'Moroccan-Zionist Alliance'

On the sidelines of the Oran Summit, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said the Moroccan-Zionist military alliance "is a meeting point for two regional expansionist regimes."

Israeli occupation Security Minister Benny Gantz and his Moroccan counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi, had signed a 'memorandum of understanding' on security cooperation between "Tel Aviv" and Rabat.

During his visit to the North African nation, Gantz said the signed memorandum paves the way for military sales and cooperation between Morocco and "Israel" after the two saw an enhancement in their diplomatic ties over the past year.

"Every step the Moroccan authorities take in this malicious military coalition distances them further from Algeria and its people," Foreign Minister Lamamra added, condemning the alliance between the two.