Morocco, "Israel" Sign Memorandum of Understanding
3 Min Read
Israeli media describes the signed memorandum of understanding with Morocco as "unprecedented", and notes it lays the foundation for concluding arms deals between the two.
-
This is the first time an Israeli security minister pays an official visit to Morocco.
Israeli occupation Security Minister Benny Gantz and Morocco's Minister in charge of defense administration, Abdellatif Loudiyi, signed Wednesday a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation between the two sides.
During his visit to Rabat, Gantz said the signed memorandum paves the way for military sales and cooperation between "Israel" and Morocco after the two upgraded their diplomatic relations last year.
A source familiar with the "memorandum of understanding" said that it does not include specific defense agreements, but it does provide a legal and regulatory framework for holding such agreements in the future.
In the same context, Israeli media mentioned that Gantz visited the mausoleum of the King of Morocco Mohammed V in the capital, Rabat.
Morocco has previously received an Israeli security advisor and the Israeli occupation Foreign Minister since the resumption of relations between the two last year.
However, this is the first time an Israeli security minister pays an official visit to the Kingdom.
The trip aims to "set the foundation for all future security cooperation between "Israel" and Morocco," a source familiar with the visit told AFP.
"Until now there has been some level of cooperation; this truly formalizes it," the source added.
Voices against normalization
Earlier, Abdul Samad Fathi, the Deputy Coordinator of the Moroccan National Front to Support Palestine and Oppose Normalization, said the Israeli entity regards Morocco as the gateway to its greedy ambitions in the Maghreb region and the rest of Africa, and it wants it to wage war on its behalf in the area.
Fathi stressed in a post on his official Facebook page on the visit of the Israeli Security Minister to Rabat that military normalization with the Israeli entity holds therein two dangers, apart from its repercussions on the Palestinian cause and national security, as well as all the immorality it represents.
For its part, the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization considered Gantz's visit to Rabat a scandal and a historical precedent, as well as a decline in the regime's political and diplomatic decision-making.
Previous agreements under normalization
Morocco, "Israel", and the US signed a tripartite agreement on December 23, 2020, which included several memoranda of understanding to establish relations between Morocco and the Israeli occupation under Washington's sponsorship.
According to the Israeli website Walla, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said relations between the two will be "normal" and will include high-level political meetings and visits.
Morocco is the fourth Arab country, following the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan, to have normalized ties with the Israeli occupation.
The Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) recently announced the start of direct flights to "Israel", a year after normalizing ties.
On July 16, 2021, the Israeli National Cyber Directorate signed a cooperation agreement with Morocco, the first of its kind in the field of cyber security since the normalization of ties between Morocco and the occupation.
