Lapid: Israel, Morocco to upgrade ties and open embassies

JERUSALEM - Israel and Morocco plan to upgrade their restored diplomatic relations and open embassies within two months, Israel's foreign minister was quoted as saying by Israeli media during a visit to Morocco on Thursday.

Yair Lapid made the remarks at a news conference held for Israeli reporters who accompanied him on the two-day trip, the reports said.

He inaugurated the country’s diplomatic representation in Morocco, a symbol of the normalization of the relations between the two nations.

Lapid’s two-day visit is the first to the country by an Israeli minister since 2003. It comes less than a year after Israel and Morocco reached a deal to establish formal ties under the US-brokered “Abraham Accords.”

Lapid tweeted photographs of himself formally opening the Israeli liaison office in Rabat, the capital, alongside Morocco's Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Mohcine Jazouli. He then headed to Casablanca, where he visited a synagogue, the Temple Beth-El.

On Wednesday, Lapid met with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita and presented a letter from Israeli President Isaac Herzog inviting Moroccan King Mohammed VI to visit Israel.

The letter “symbolizes the importance of relations between the two countries and Israel’s deep commitment to an agreement between the two people,” Lapid tweeted.

Israel and Morocco signed an air service agreement and another agreement to cooperate in the fields of culture, sports and youth activities. They also signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing a political consultation mechanism between their countries’ foreign ministries, which appeared to fit into the wider design of the face-to-face diplomacy during Lapid’s visit.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted on Wednesday that the United States congratulates Morocco and Israel "on the reopening of the Israeli Liaison Office in Rabat. We will continue to work with Israel and Morocco to strengthen all aspects of our partnerships.”

Israel and Morocco had low-level diplomatic relations in the 1990s, but Morocco cut them off after the second Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000. The two countries maintained informal ties, with thousands of Israelis traveling to Morocco each year.

The Abraham Accords were struck last year with four Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

As part of the deal to establish formal ties with Israel, the US agreed to recognize Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara.