The relationship between Morocco and Israel is rich in history and marked by periods of both open engagement and covert diplomacy. While formal ties were absent for many years due to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the two countries maintained a secretive bilateral relationship on various fronts following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
In December 2020, Morocco and Israel formally established diplomatic relations, signing the Israel-Morocco normalization agreement under the Abraham Accords. This agreement marked a significant turning point, but the story of their connection goes back much further.
Early Ties and Covert Relations
For many years, Moroccan King Hassan II facilitated a relationship with Israeli authorities, which is considered instrumental in stabilizing Morocco and striking down possible anti-monarchy threats within the country. Even before official recognition, the Israeli passport was accepted for entry into Morocco, with a visa granted on arrival.
From 1949 to 1956, Cadima, a migration apparatus administered by Jewish Agency and Mossad Le'Aliyah agents, organized the migration of over 60,000 Moroccan Jews to Israel.
Hassan II's Efforts
During the 1980s, Hassan II attempted to break the deadlock and recognize Israel by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in Rabat in 1986. However, this move was met with backlash and protests from the Arab League and Moroccans, forcing Hassan II to withdraw his attempt. Nonetheless, Hassan II maintained a bond with Peres, who voiced his condolences when Hassan II died in 1999.
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According to *The New York Times*, some diplomats said the Moroccan king's initiative to meet Mr. Peres was the product of several factors, including his frustration with the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process.
Resumption of Relations in the 1990s
Like the late Hassan II, his son King Mohammed VI of Morocco, whose reign began in 1999, maintained unofficial relations with Israel. The two countries established low-level diplomatic relations during the 1990s following Israel's interim peace accords with the Palestinian Authority. These relations were suspended after the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000.
Normalization Agreement of 2020
The Israel-Morocco normalization agreement, announced by the United States government on December 10, 2020, marked a pivotal moment. In this agreement, Israel and Morocco agreed to begin normalizing relations. This followed similar agreements signed by Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan with Israel in September and October 2020.
Morocco became the sixth Arab League country to normalize ties with Israel, joining Egypt and Jordan. The agreement was negotiated by a team led by Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz, who had been in talks with the Moroccan government for over two years, suggesting normalization in exchange for US recognition of Morocco's claim to Western Sahara.
Following the announcement, the Moroccan royal cabinet reaffirmed that its stance on the Palestine issue remained unchanged. However, analyst Omar Brouksy noted that the agreement had been decided without prior consultation with Parliament or Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani.
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Reactions to the Agreement
- Positive Reactions: Members of the Moroccan Jewish community welcomed the announcement. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the deal would promote "further stability and cooperation" in the Middle East.
- Negative Reactions: A group of activists planning an anti-normalization protest were dispersed by Moroccan police. Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad expressed his country's dissatisfaction, and the Movement of Society for Peace (HAMS) in Algeria considered the normalization a "sinister decision". Iran also condemned Morocco's normalization of relations with Israel.
Motivations and Incentives for Normalization
Normalization between Morocco and Israel can be described as a trade-off that would expand Israel’s acceptance among its Arab neighbors in exchange for economic, geostrategic, and political benefits for Rabat. Moroccan officials believe that normalization with Israel boosts their country’s regional and global influence.
Several factors motivated Morocco's decision to normalize relations with Israel:
- US Recognition of Moroccan Sovereignty over Western Sahara: A key component of the deal signed on December 10, 2020, involved Washington recognizing Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara.
- Strengthening Regional Position: The trilateral relationship among Rabat, Washington, and Tel Aviv could strengthen Morocco’s regional position in North Africa, particularly in its competition with Algeria.
- Economic Collaboration: Morocco aims to strengthen its economic collaboration with Israel.
- Military Collaboration: The military collaboration between Morocco and Israel has been growing and is expected to increase.
Before leaving office in January, the Trump Administration proposed selling as much as $1 billion in arms to Morocco, including four weapons-capable MQ-9 Reaper drones along with laser-guided munitions.
Risks and Challenges
Despite the gains Morocco might achieve from normalization with Israel, the step remains a high-risk gamble. History bears witness to that. While it is true that normalization helped these authoritarian regimes to remain in power, it also created a huge gap with their own people, who still reject the normalization. It is likely that Morocco will face the same fate, as most Moroccans are against the move.
According to the latest (2019-2020) Arab Opinion Index, about 88 percent of Moroccans oppose diplomatic recognition of Israel, and 70 percent see the Palestinian issue as one that concerns all Arabs.
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Furthermore, the United States’ unilateral recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara can be costly and complicates the issue. Trump’s proclamation spurred a lot of domestic criticism in Morocco, the United Nations, and American allies in Africa and beyond as it adds more fuel to a highly contested and disputed issue.
Morocco's Jewish Community
A special bond unites Morocco and Israel, resting partly on the Moroccan Jewish community. Indeed, Morocco’s Jewish minority is almost as old as the country itself. The first Jewish inhabitants probably date back to around 70 CE, after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Until a mass migration to Israel in 1948, Jews dwelt all over Morocco, in villages, towns and cities, and lived mainly on commerce, trade, and finance.
During the Second World War, when Nazi-occupied France wanted to persecute Morocco’s Jews, King Mohammed V resisted the order. Following in the steps of his father, King Hassan II treated Moroccan Jews with great deference.
As a result, Morocco today is a haven of peace and coexistence, with Moroccans proudly highlighting their composite identities: Amazigh, Arab, Islamic, Jewish, African, Andalusian and Mediterranean, among others.
More recently, the Moroccan government, at the initiative of king Mohammed VI, launched a program in 2010 of the rehabilitation of Jewish cemeteries, synagogues, and other monuments. As such, 167 sites have been refurbished in fourteen regions.
And though the Moroccan Jewish population has dwindled from 250,000 in 1947 to just around 5,000 today, Moroccan Jews continue to live in dignity. The much larger community of nearly one million Israelis of Moroccan origin remain, for their part, clearly attached to their historic homeland.
Recent Developments
- Direct Flights: On 22 December, El Al launched the first direct commercial flight between Israel and Morocco following the normalization agreement.
- Governmental Visits: On May 29, 2023, Miri Regev visited Morocco in an official capacity as the Israeli Transport Minister, marking the first trip by an Israeli Transport Minister to the North African nation.
- Recognition of Sovereignty: On July 17, 2023, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara in a letter to King Mohammed VI.
- Military Cooperation: In June 2023, Israel participated for the first time in the African Lion military maneuvers.
- Parliamentary Visits: On June 7, 2023, Amir Ohana, the leader of the Israeli parliament, made the first official visit to the Moroccan parliament.
Despite the War: The Secret Behind Israel–Morocco Relations | KAN 11
Challenges and Future Prospects
Despite the progress, Morocco faces the daunting task of explaining to the Palestinians that Morocco still supports their cause. The Moroccan population has long-standing and established ties with the Palestinian people-with whom it shares culture, language, and religion-and a large portion has become increasingly vocal in demanding an end to normalization with Israel amid the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Moroccan-Israeli relations have become stronger than ever since the recent events in the Middle East, and those relations are here to stay. Though the United States brokered it, this critical alliance transcends Washington’s mediation and will be sustained by shared history and common geostrategic interests.
Key Events in Morocco-Israel Relations:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1948-1956 | Migration of over 60,000 Moroccan Jews to Israel |
| 1986 | Hassan II meets with Shimon Peres in Rabat |
| 1990s | Establishment of low-level diplomatic relations |
| 2000 | Suspension of relations due to the Al-Aqsa Intifada |
| 2020 | Normalization agreement signed under the Abraham Accords |
| 2023 | Israel recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara |
In summary, the relationship between Morocco and Israel is complex and multifaceted, shaped by historical ties, strategic interests, and regional politics. The normalization agreement of 2020 represents a significant step forward, but challenges remain in navigating public opinion and addressing the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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