Morocco, the United States of America, and the State of Israel are commemorating the first anniversary of the Tripartite Agreement, which was signed in Rabat on December 22, 2020, and paved the way for a successful partnership with great prospects between all the three nations.

This first year of the Agreement, which established the restart of relations between Morocco and the State of Israel, has seen tremendous development, with bilateral and trilateral relations strengthened in a variety of areas, notably politics, diplomacy, and the economy.

These advancements have allowed the formation of five sector-based working groups, which have worked to facilitate the conclusion of collaboration agreements in a variety of areas, including investment, agriculture, water, environment, tourism, science, innovation, and energy, through intensive exchanges between Moroccan and Israeli officials.

On August 10 and 11, and November 24 and 25, 2021, the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs and future Prime Minister, Mr. Yair Lapid, and the Israeli Minister of Defense, Mr. Beny Gantz, respectively, paid visits to Morocco.

The signing of 12 agreements covering various disciplines, the reopening of Liaison Offices, the creation of communication channels between the business communities, and the beginning of direct flights operated by airlines from both nations resulted from these trips.

In the tough setting of the health crisis, the entry of Israeli tourists in the Kingdom has also been a breath of fresh air for many tourism value chain businesses, demonstrating Moroccans’ spirit of tolerance and coexistence.

The human dimension is extremely apparent in Morocco-Israel relations, as the restart of contacts between the two nations responds to the deep links and steadfast loyalty of the Moroccan Jewish community to its country and to His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s august person.

The impetus in Moroccan-Israeli relations will thus open up significant economic opportunities for the Kingdom, which will be able to profit from Israeli experience in a number of high-value-added businesses as well as technological know-how transfer.

At the same time, collaboration between Morocco and the United States, which has already been elevated to the status of a major strategic alliance with several dimensions (politics, economy, security, and so on), has been dramatically enhanced in the last year.

It should be noted that the two countries are commemorating 200 years of friendship and 15 years since the signing of the Free Trade Arrangement, the United States’ first such agreement with Africa.

More than 150 American companies working in Morocco have invested over $2 billion and produced over 100,000 employments, not to mention the Morocco Future Leaders initiative, which was developed in the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region to help young people become great civic leaders in their communities.

This privileged relationship was further strengthened during the visit of Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Living Abroad, to Washington, during which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted HM King Mohammed VI’s reform agenda, while stating that the long-standing bilateral partnership is rooted in shared interests for regional peace, security, and prosperity, and emphasizing Morocco’s key role in promulgating regional peace, security, and prosperity.

This visit also provided an opportunity to reaffirm the Joint Declaration between Morocco, Israel, and the United States, as well as to discuss ways to move forward with the declaration’s implementation and to strengthen collaboration between the three nations in a variety of areas.

The holding of the military exercises “African Challenge” from 07 to 18 June 2021 is another indication of the Kingdom and the United States’ strategic and multidimensional collaboration.

In terms of the national cause, the US, which has restated its endorsement of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern regions, reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan autonomy idea in November as a serious, genuine, and viable solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara.

Furthermore, Morocco, the United States of America, and Israel intend to continue implementing the elements of the Tripartite Declaration and working to promote peace and stability in the Middle East in order to reach a final and comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian problem.

It is worth noting that during a telephone conversation between His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, and Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, President of the Palestinian Authority, the Sovereign stated that the Palestinian cause is at the top of his priorities, that he will never relinquish his role in defending the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, that he will remain, as he has always been, King, government, and people by our Palestinian brothers’ side, and that he will continue his constructive engagement to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East region.

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During a news conference in Rabat on Thursday, David Govrin, the charge d’affaires of the Israeli liaison office in Morocco, said that Israeli defense and finance ministers Benny Gantz and Orna Barbivai will be visiting the Moroccan capital.

“Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited Morocco two months ago, and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Israeli Minister of Economy are also set to visit Morocco,” he said, according to the Israeli news site i24.

These visits, according to Govrin, are part of a dynamic of expanding relations between the two countries on a variety of levels and in a variety of areas, including trade and the economy. He also emphasized the impact they have on Moroccan and Israeli society.

He continued, “We are always seeking to build and network partnerships in other domains, such as water, agriculture, and renewable energy,” citing tangible progress in scholarly, cultural, and educational activities between the two countries.
In terms of the tourism sector, the envoy mentioned the pandemic’s limits, as well as the recent debut of direct flights between Israel and Morocco.

He stated his desire for services that will assist revitalize the tourist industry on both sides.

During this meeting, David Govrin explained that Israel’s connections with the Gulf countries and those with Morocco are vastly different.

Unlike the first, which was only a year old, the ones between Israel and Morocco have a history stretching back to 1995, when “we created cultural and social contacts, in the sense that Israeli civil societies and Moroccan civil societies have maintained these relations.”

“This trait has contributed to the restart of contacts between the two countries since December of last year,” Govrin estimated.

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During a press conference following his visit to Morocco, Israeli Foreign Minister Yaïr Lapid stated that Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Africa and Moroccan Expatriates, had agreed this morning to normalize relations between the two countries and open embassies in Morocco and Israel within two months, which is expected to happen in October.
In accordance with the accompanying staff, Israeli Foreign Minister Yaïr Lapid started up the Israeli liaison office in Rabat, marking the first visit of an Israeli diplomat to Morocco since the two nations resumed diplomatic ties in 2020.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yaïr Lapid sent Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita a letter from Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking the Moroccan monarch to visit Israel, which reads: “His Majesty the King, Mohammed VI, it is my pleasure to see His Majesty in the near future. In the future years, we all want to strengthen collaboration for the benefit of both peoples. Please accept my greetings to the Royal Family and the Moroccan nation as a whole”.
President Herzog also thanked His Majesty the King on Royal Day, saying, “I have the honor to send my heartfelt greetings on the occasion of the throne anniversary on behalf of the Israeli people and the State.” Accept our warmest wishes for Morocco’s and its people’s continuing growth and prosperity.
Foreign Minister Lapid emphasized that this letter demonstrates the importance of the two countries’ ties as well as Israel’s strong commitment to the two peoples’ peace accord.

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Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will pay his first official visit to Morocco on August 11.
Thus, according to reliable sources, Lapid will meet with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita in order to discuss ways to strengthen relations between Morocco and Israel. This would be the first visit by an Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom since 2003.
Prior to the 25 July launch of a direct air line between Israel and Morocco, Israel’s Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom announced he would be visiting Morocco.

In the same regard, Moroccan Tourism Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui, called Israeli Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov today to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries, following the resumption of direct flights, as well as in preparation for Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to Morocco next month.

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