Benjamin Gantz, Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, was received in Rabat on Wednesday by the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of the National Defense Administration and the Lieutenant General, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, on High Royal Instructions.

According to a statement from the FAR General Staff, Abdeltif Loudyi, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of the National Defense Administration, received an important Israeli delegation led by Benjamin Gantz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, on an official visit to Morocco from November 23 to 25 in accordance with the High Royal Instructions.

This visit is part of the Kingdom of Morocco’s and the State of Israel’s cooperation relations, which have progressed significantly since the signing of the tripartite declaration (Morocco-Israel-US) in December 2020, under the leadership of HM the King, enshrining the resumption of diplomatic relations.

On this occasion, the two ministers praised the progress made in the sphere of defense, which included the signing of an agreement on information protection in the defense sector and a memorandum of understanding on cybersecurity cooperation.

The two ministers then addressed methods to improve bilateral military cooperation in areas of mutual interest, and reaffirmed their shared intention to enhance these ties.

They discussed bilateral and regional problems as well. They emphasized the historical and cultural ties between the two countries, as well as their close bonds with His Majesty the King of the Moroccan Jewish community and the Moroccan Jewish diaspora in Israel and around the world, allowing them to promote peace and stability in the Middle East.

The two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of defense at the end of the meeting, which covered exchanges of experience and expertise, technology transfer, training, and collaboration in the military industry.

On the same day, and in accordance with the High Instructions of HM the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of FAR, the Lieutenant General, Inspector General of FAR, and Commander of the Southern Zone received Gantz, who was leading an important delegation, at the level of FAR General Staff in Rabat, in the presence of FAR senior military officials.

Both officials welcomed the dynamics of cooperation between the two countries during this working meeting, carrying mutual interests and auguring a promising collaboration in terms of exchange of expertise, particularly in the areas of training, defense capacity building, and technology transfer, according to the statement.

The post Israeli Defense Minister Received by Minister Delegate for National Defense Administration and by Lieutenant General, Inspector General of FAR appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.

On his first visit to Morocco a year after restoring relations, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz will arrive today, Tuesday, with the goal of strengthening security cooperation between the two countries.

Since the restoration of relations between the two nations last year, Morocco has received an Israeli security advisor and Israel’s foreign minister, but this is the first time an Israeli defense minister has paid an official visit to the country.

Gantz will leave Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening for Morocco, where he will sign an agreement that “draws the outlines of military cooperation between the two countries,” according to his office, and will leave the country on Thursday.

According to an Israeli official, the purpose of this visit is to “set the groundwork for the formation of future security relations between Israel and Morocco.” “We had some cooperation before, but we’ll formalize it now.” It is a public declaration of our relationship.”

Following the conclusion of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1993, the two nations established diplomatic relations before Rabat severed them due to the second Palestinian intifada in 2000.

Gantz’s travel to Morocco comes three months after the two countries announced an agreement to increase diplomatic representation from two liaison offices to two embassies during Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to the kingdom, which has yet to be implemented.

It was also stated last month in terms of economics. Ratio Petroleum, an Israeli corporation, established a cooperation with Rabat to explore gas resources on the Moroccan Sahara Dakhla coast.

The post The Israeli Defense Minister arrives this evening in Morocco and the military industrialization agreements are the most important topics of the meeting appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.

On November 24, Israel’s Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, will pay an official visit to Morocco to sign a cooperation agreement.

According to Reuters, the defense ministry confirmed that Gantz will meet with his Moroccan counterpart as well as the foreign minister to sign the agreement.

BREAKING: Israeli minister of defense Benny Gantz will visit Morocco next week. This will be the first ever visit by an Israeli minister of defense in Morocco. During the visit Gantz will sign a defense cooperation MOU with his Moroccan counterpart

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) November 15, 2021

Morocco, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, was one of four Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel last year under US-backed deals.

In August of this year, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited Morocco for the first time since 2003, and in late October, Israel rescinded its decade-long travel warning against the country.

Moroccan officials define the resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel, which includes the establishment of liaison offices and the beginning of flights between the two countries, as a restoration of mid-level connections.

For centuries prior to the creation of Israel as a state in 1948, the North African kingdom was home to one of the greatest Jewish communities in North Africa and the Middle East.

The post Israeli defense chief Gantz to visit Morocco to sign a cooperation agreement appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.