Israel’s liaison office quietly resumes operations in Morocco
Large parts of Moroccan society have voiced their discontent with Israel over its actions in Gaza since the start of the war in the coastal enclave. However, the rallying calls for change seem to have fallen on the deaf ears of the Moroccan government.
Israel’s liaison office in Rabat has resumed operations, according to state friendly Moroccan news site Hespress, after being closed for ten months to revitalise relations between the two nations, against the wishes of popular protest, reported Middle East Eye and agencies on August 16th.
The office’s activities were suspended following the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October, following safety concerns though the official closure of the office happened in April.
Israeli diplomatic officials were reportedly prohibited from having any contact with the Moroccan media out of fear of creating social unrest and widespread opposition to the reopening.
Last month, Hassan Kaabia, Israel’s deputy foreign ministry spokesman for Arab media, was appointed deputy head of the liaison office in Rabat. The office was formally led by David Govrin, who resigned in 2022 following allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct.
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Hespress reported that the Israeli liaison office had regained more online visibility by posting messages to congratulate Morocco on various national events, such as Throne Day and medals won during the Olympic games in Paris.
On August 15th, protests against Kaabia’s appointment took place in front of the parliament building in Rabat, with efforts organised by the Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Opposing Normalisation, reported local media.
Demonstrators demanded the expulsion of all Israeli representatives in the kingdom, with all ties between Morocco and Israel being severed.
The leader of the protest group, Abdelilah Benabdeslam, stated that it was “shameful” for Morocco to keep relations with a “criminal state”. Benabdeslam stated that demonstrations would continue throughout Morocco.
A U.S.-brokered agreement led to Israel and Morocco formally establishing diplomatic ties in December 2020. The deal included the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which is mostly controlled by Morocco but also claimed by the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi independence movement backed by Algeria.
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Morocco and Israel have shared a 60-year history of cooperation in military and intelligence matters, though their ties deepened significantly after the tripartite agreement.
The agreement allowed Morocco to purchase Israel’s highly sought-after Barak 8 missile defence system, Elbit Hermes drones and a spy satellite system to fight Polisario Front fighters in the Western Sahara.
Trade between Morocco and Israel doubled from $56.2 million in 2022 to $116.7 million in 2023 – joining a trend among other Arab countries that have normalised relations with Israel in 2020, such as the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan.
The increase of bilateral trade and security partnerships between Rabat and Tel Aviv has intensified widespread opposition to normalised relations, highlighting the divergence between the government and public views of Israel.
Moroccan officials have aimed to settle public discontent by condemning Israel’s violence in Gaza and providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians; however, firm opposition remains against the government’s policy towards Israel.
An Arab Barometer poll published in June found that popular support for normalised relations between Arab states and Israel dropped from 31% in 2022 to 13%.
Middle East Eye and agencies
