Agreement signed between Israel and Morocco: “We want peace”

During the visit, five agreements were signed: a framework agreement for the renewal of diplomatic relations; Water agreement (Israel will supply desalination technologies to Morocco), health agreement, and financial agreement. An exemption from visas for official passport issues was also agreed upon, and a memorandum of understanding was formulated regarding aviation agreements.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Burita announced in a meeting with the head of the National Security Council, Meir Ben Shabbat, and with Adviser Kushner that In two weeks, the diplomatic missions in both countries will open. Unusually, the King of Morocco, Muhammad VI, opened his palace for talks with the Israeli delegation that was received on the red carpet – and there the agreements were signed.

Ben Shabbat greeted in Moroccan: “Our Moroccan brethren, peace be upon you and God will add to your blessing. We and you are happy, we are all happy. We arrived here by direct flight and it is a historic visit in every sense that translates vision into reality.” He added that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expresses his great appreciation for King Muhammad VI. The warm relations between the palace and the Jews are recognized all over the world. They will be a bridge between two countries and a foundation for peace“.

Minister Burita said at the event: “The king welcomed Ben Shabbat and Kushner, and they signed cooperation with Israel. The United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty in the Western Sahara which is the most important thing for the region. The king renewed the position of the state. “Diplomatic relations will contribute to the strengthening of regional peace and the opening of new horizons.” He noted that The US will open a consulate in Western Sahara.

Kushner said: “We are opening the door to a new era of cooperation. The two countries have agreed on a full renewal of diplomatic relations and the opening of offices, they will sign a number of agreements and more agreements will be reached. I am sure Morocco will compete in the UAE. .

Even before takeoff, Kushner said he hoped “the flight to Morocco would create the same momentum similar to the UAE, since the two countries have” history and culture, and people are eager to get to know each other. I was here a few months ago on my first flight to the UAE after this historic breakthrough, and now we see flights, tourism, people doing business. Peace is very warm. “

Kushner mentioned how on Trump’s first trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel, about four years ago, “the White House worked very hard to persuade the Saudis to allow the presidential plane to fly from Riyadh to Ben-Gurion,” he said. “In retrospect, it is amazing to think how it broke barriers and contributed to peace. The situation where Jews and Muslims live separately is unnatural, for centuries they have lived together, what we see is actually the revival of this norm,” Kushner said.

Israeli, Moroccan and United States flags were flown at the airport where Gurion was stationed, Moroccan songs were played in the background, and the symbol “Hamsa” was affixed to an El Al plane. The flight number is LY555. The airline made an effort to provide passengers with a festive Moroccan experience: branded masks were made with the flags of Morocco, Israel and the United States, with the word ‘peace’ in Arabic, Hebrew and English. The food served was also Moroccan.

National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat greeted in Hebrew, but his words were not translated into English. “I am excited to head the Israeli delegation and thank you for the privilege that has fallen to me,” said Ben Shabbat – a son of Moroccan-born parents. “History is written before our eyes. We see the fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah – peace, peace, far and near.”

Ben Shabbat was not the only one – there were several other officials in the Israeli delegation whose parents immigrated from Morocco, such as Foreign Ministry Attorney General Tal Becker, who was tasked with drafting the normalization agreements between the countries.

Another issue discussed by the members of the delegation is the opening of the diplomatic liaison offices that closed in 2000. It turns out that Morocco continues to own the property in Tel Aviv and Israel continues to own the property in Rabat, so all that is needed is to renovate them – and start working. However, the Israeli property became very outdated after 20 years in which it stood empty, so they may have to find a new property.

The two countries are also discussing a visa agreement. Visa exemption for Israeli tourists, similar to the UAE, is not expected, but a move is planned that will include a quick and simple electronic visa. It should be noted that Moroccans are very interested in the arrival of Israeli tourists after the Corona crisis, as well as Israeli airlines. In this context, during the visit we discussed an aviation agreement that will allow direct flights of Israeli companies to Morocco.

The Trump peace team that was on the historic flight Continues to work hard on more agreements. Although they have only 29 more days in office until the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, they hope it will be possible to reach an agreement with one more Arab or Muslim country.

They believe that the agreement with Morocco is strong and stable, and will continue even under the Biden administration. In their view, there is no reason to fear that the president-elect will revoke American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, which will freeze normalization with Israel.

Why did the Moroccans not immediately agree to open embassies and ask to start with liaison offices, which are one level lower? The American explanation for this is that things take time. Just as it took time to arrange the first direct flight from the moment the two countries declared renewed relations, in the end – Embassies will be established.

Meanwhile, the Americans are working on the peace agreement between Israel and Sudan and are considering the possibility of summoning Netanyahu and the Sudanese leader to a signing ceremony at the White House – even before the end of the Trump administration. Not sure if they will suffice, but they do not stop trying. They believe that the process created by the Abrahamic agreements will continue even during the Biden period, that it will not be possible to turn the wheel backwards.

Shortly after the signing of the agreements in Tunisia they reported that they are They do not intend to normalize relations with Israel: “Our position will not be affected by international changes.”