US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Wednesday his department welcomes the visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Morocco, the first of its kind after the North African country agreed to normalize ties with Israel last year under US-brokered deals.
“We will continue to work with Israel and Morocco to strengthen all aspects of our partnerships and create a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous future for all the people of the Middle East,” said a statement from the Department of State.
Alongside the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco normalized ties with Israel under the mediation of Donald Trump’s administration.
Liaison offices between Morocco and Israel existed but were closed during the second Palestinian Intifada in the 2000s.
The renewal of ties coincided with Trump’s government officially recognizing the Moroccan Sahara, with Biden’s office keeping up with the decision.
Israel and Morocco signed yesterday 3 cooperation agreements, by Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and his Israeli counterpart, in the fields of politics, culture, youth, sports and air services.
The two ministers said they would work together around the rife tension in the Middle East, with Bourita urging a comprehensive solution on the basis of the two-state solution and the establishment of the Palestinian State.
Lapid’s visit to Morocco comes a few days after the start of the first direct commercial flight between Israel and Morocco.
During this visit, the Israeli Foreign Minister will officially inaugurate the Israeli Liaison Office, while the Moroccan Foreign Minister is expected to pay an official visit to Tel Aviv soon in order to open the Moroccan Liaison Office.
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