Naam Mayara, the head of Morocco’s House of Councillors, is expected to visit Tel Aviv in September as a result of an official invitation from Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohna.

According to an official Hespress source in the Israeli Knesset, “Amir Ohana received an official confirmation from his counterpart Mayara, regarding the visit to Tel Aviv next September.”

This trip will strengthen parliamentary cooperation between the two nations, which is consistent with the expansion of bilateral ties between Rabat and Tel Aviv on all fronts.

A senior Moroccan official is in Tel Aviv for the second time on business. In February of last year, Mohamed Benawali, Commander of the Royal Moroccan Artillery, paid a visit to Israel.

According to Hespress sources, the visit is also a part of a Middle Eastern tour that will also take in Palestine and other countries.

As part of a diplomatic mission, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon travel to Morocco after receiving a formal invitation from King Mohammed VI.

This is his first official trip, however a few members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have already visited Morocco to talk about cooperation.

More than 2,000 Moroccans visited Israel in the first half of this year, a 66% rise in the number of Moroccan tourists.

Furthermore, $6 million worth of trade was conducted between Morocco and Israel in just June. Trade between the two nations surged dramatically in the first half of the year, hitting $38.5 million, a 96% rise from the same time the year before.

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A deal that was struck on Friday in Salé, close to Rabat, between the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) and the Israeli Arkia Airline Company would see direct flights between Tel-Aviv and Essaouira beginning in September.

There will be 11,000 seats available on Arkia Airlines’ new direct flight.

In his remarks on the agreement, ONMT Chief Adel El Fakir emphasized the significance of the new Israeli direct flights for Moroccan incoming tourism, noting that the new route was opened to satisfy rising Israeli market demand.

Gad Tepper, the director of Arkia, expressed his optimism on the relevance and financial benefits of the new airline service that will allow thousands of Israelis to visit Essaouira to take advantage of its well-known historical sites.

Nearly 75,000 Israeli visitors traveled to Morocco in 2022, an increase of 87% from 2019. About 39,000 Israeli tourists traveled to the North African Kingdom at the end of June 2023, a 35% rise from the same time in 2022.

Israeli visitors increased their arrivals by 146% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2019, according to the Moroccan Tourism Observatory.

Visits and contacts between Moroccan and Israeli officials increased following the normalization of relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv in 2020 as a result of the Abraham Accords, which were mediated by the United States. This led to the signing of a number of cooperation agreements in the fields of tourism, trade, industry, defense, cybersecurity, technology, scientific research, culture, agriculture, water, healthcare, and security.

Read also: Lior Haiat to Hespress: Israel is determined to improve relations with Morocco

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The government’s judicial reforms, which thousands of Israelis see to be an assault on democracy, prompted them to go to the streets of Tel Aviv once more late on Saturday.

The nation’s protests entered their fifteenth week in a row after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “pause” on the measures that were dividing the country on March 27.

In a sea of Israeli flags waved by protesters, signs with the words “Let’s save democracy” were seen. The use of smoke bombs and flares was also recorded by AFP journalists.

Smaller demonstrations were also held in Modiin, Israel, outside Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s house, and in Haifa, a port city in the north.

As in several past protests, the Israeli media reported that tens of thousands had attended.

We are defending our democracy. One protester, Nadav Tamir, 61, told AFP that there was no alternative country for them to live in.

I didn’t want to come today, but my sister told me, “We have no choice,” and it’s true,” said Karen Baron, a 45-year-old psychotherapist from Tel Aviv. We are unable to relax our guard; we have no choice. Our nation must be protected.

The measures would limit the Supreme Court’s power and allow legislators more control over judicial selection.

The amendments, according to Netanyahu’s administration, are necessary to counterbalance the authority between the legislature and the judiciary. The government is a coalition of Netanyahu’s Likud party and extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies.

The protest took place on Saturday, one day after the US rating agency Moody’s declared that Israel’s outlook had been changed from “positive” to “stable”.

As seen by recent events surrounding the government’s proposal to revamp the nation’s court, it was stated that the change “reflects a worsening of Israel’s governance.

According to Moody’s, “mass demonstrations have forced the government to pause the legislation and seek dialogue with the opposition, but the way the government has attempted to implement a broad reform without seeking broad consensus points to a deterioration of institutional strength and policy predictability.”

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