Israeli Knesset member highlights Morocco ties

Diplomatic relations between Israel and Morocco look set to develop further as an Israeli Knesset member praises his country’s ties to the Kingdom, according to the Moroccan government-friendly North Africa Post and agencies on February 18th.

Dan Illouz, an Israeli of Moroccan heritage, highlighted the normalisation of relations between the countries, achieved under the US-backed Abraham Accords in 2020.

Israel Hayom reports that Illouz is a Canadian-born citizen of Israel who emigrated to the country under the “Law of Return“, which permits Jews from anywhere in the world to settle in Israel.

He described relations with Morocco as “the reopening of the doors of our family home”, adding that one million Jewish-Israelis of Moroccan descent act as a “living bridge” between the countries.

In recent years, Israel and Morocco have developed ties across a range of areas, including water infrastructure, support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, and defence cooperation.

On January 9th, it was reported that the countries had reached a defence partnership, under which Israeli defence contractors would continue supplying weapons to Morocco.

This is despite concerns that Israeli contractors, including Elbit Systems and Rafael, are complicit in crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Additionally, on January 20th, it was reported that Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the “Board of Peace” in Gaza, which would oversee the reconstruction and governance of the wartorn Palestinian enclave.

His acceptance came despite concerns over the apparent lack of Palestinian representation on the board, which has led to critics labelling the plan as a colonial endeavour.

Similarly, it has been argued that by demanding the expulsion of Hamas from governance, the Palestinians’ right to self-determination is undermined.

Relations between Morocco and Israel have persisted for decades, despite the Kingdom’s public condemnation of Israeli war crimes, including Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed over 71,000 people since October 2023.

A notable example of these ties was in 1986, when King Hassan II, the father of Mohammed VI, secretly met with then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in Rabat.

It has also been alleged that King Hassan II helped facilitate the departure of Moroccan Jews to Israel, with the latter encouraging the emigration of Jews to maintain a Jewish demographic majority in Israel and the occupied territories.

North Africa Post and agencies, Israel Hayom and agencies, Maghrebi.org