Israel, Morocco set up working groups to boost ties after normalization

Israel and Morocco on Friday announced the creation of “working groups” to bolster cooperation between the two countries, following an agreement to restore diplomatic ties.

Morocco and Israel in December signed a US-brokered normalization agreement in Rabat, and on Tuesday Israel announced the re-opening of its diplomatic mission in the North African country.

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It had closed after Morocco shut its liaison office in Tel Aviv in 2000, at the start of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation.

Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israel’s National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat spoke by telephone on Thursday, a statement from both countries said.

“They agreed to set up working groups which will work towards collaboration agreements on many areas including investments, agriculture, water, environment, tourism, science, innovation, energy and more,” a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said.

The foreign ministry in Rabat confirmed the report.

The working groups will meet first online due to the coronavirus pandemic, but with visits in person later.

“Hopefully in February a high-level Moroccan delegation will arrive in Israel... and Ben Shabbat is also expected to head a delegation to Morocco this February,” the Israeli statement said.

Bourita and Ben Shabbat “discussed the great potential in collaboration, which will benefit not only Morocco and Israel, but also the entire region”, the statement said.

Morocco was one of three Arab nations last year to normalize ties with Tel Aviv under US-brokered deals after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Sudan following suit this month.

The kingdom has North Africa’s largest Jewish community of about 3,000 people, and Israel is home to 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin.

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