Morocco – Israel: A Business Partnership Agreement to Strengthen Economic and Trade Relations

The aim behind this partnership is to establish a space for the exchange of information and experience in fields of common interest.

Monday, March 22nd, Moroccan and Israeli businessmen working in the private sector signed a strategic partnership agreement during a virtual meeting with the aim of strengthening economic and commercial relations and developing the technological field between Morocco and Israel.

The agreement was signed by Chakib Alj, President of the General Federation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), on the one hand, and Ron Tomer, President of the Israeli Employers and Entrepreneurs Association (IEBO), and the Association of Israeli Manufacturers (MAI), as well as Uriel Lynn, President of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce ( FICC) on the other hand.

The aim behind this partnership is to establish an open and lasting dialogue between the CGEM and the IEBO, which will work together to unify their efforts to create a kind of synergy and strong harmony between the concerned business communities active in main sectors, and to establish a space for the exchange of information and experiences in fields of common interest, including the import and export sector, research and development, as well as innovation and technology.

In a statement to the press, Chakib Alj said, in this regard, that this agreement constitutes a new step towards a strong and lasting partnership capable of achieving synergy between Moroccan and Israeli companies, noting that the revitalization of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel opens promising economic horizons, including the possibilities of establishing a large commercial exchange as well as more investment opportunities available to the Moroccan and Israeli private sector, which must be seized together, whether at the local, regional or global level, in light of the advantages enjoyed by countries in different sectors such as tourism, agriculture, technology and innovation.

For his part, the head of the Israeli Association of Employers and Businessmen and the Israel Manufacturers Association expressed his happiness for establishing this strategic partnership, which falls within the context of resuming economic and commercial relations between Israel and Morocco after a 15-year interruption.

He added that the roots of many Israelis go back to Morocco, where a large Jewish community has lived for many years, so it is now natural for us to renew and strengthen the relationship between the two countries by establishing a long-term partnership that would produce commercial cooperation and contribute to strengthening exchanges between Israel and Morocco. He further thanked the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises for concluding this agreement, which he described as “important and historic”.

As for the head of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, he emphasized that Israel and Morocco enjoy a strong and long-term relationship, highlighting that Morocco, thanks to its geographical location, can become a bridge linking Israeli companies with North Africa. Moreover, Morocco constitutes “a competitive import gateway for the automotive sector, the agro-food industry, and textile and chemical industries”.

The same official added that Israel can contribute to the development of Morocco in the fields of modern agriculture, technical equipment, irrigation and water technologies, solar energy, and technological cooperation with the European Union, reminding the establishment of cooperative relations with the Moroccan business community, and “we witness a strong desire for establishing more bilateral partnerships.”

Within the framework of this strategic agreement, the two parties decided to establish a bilateral business council in order to enhance cooperation between the private sectors in the two countries through the exchange of trade missions, organizing business meetings, and establishing Moroccan enterprises in Israel and an Israeli company in Morocco.

The Moroccan-Israeli Business Council is chaired on the Moroccan side by Steve Ohana.