Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his party Likud are hoping that Morocco’s King Mohammed VI will make his first ever visit to Israel in the coming months – and perhaps even in the March 2021 elections.
If a Moroccan monarch is indeed visiting Israel, it will be an event of great historical significance that is sure to receive widespread media attention both at home and abroad.
Political sources claim that this fact will not be lost on Netanyahu, who intends to take full advantage of the king’s visit to strengthen himself and Likud’s campaign in the upcoming elections.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Moroccan King Mohammed VI
(Photo: AFP, Ohad Zwigenberg )
The same sources claim that although the Israeli side hopes to see Mohammed VI’s visit in the coming months, they confirm that a possible visit by the king will only happen once the conventional coronavirus restrictions are lifted and when re-entry into Israel.
Netanyahu first invited Mohammed to visit Israel less than a month after Jerusalem and Rabat agreed to normalize relations back in December and shortly after the Israeli delegation to Morocco made its first direct commercial flight to Rabat to strike the US-led agreement.
The Israeli delegation, along with Jared Kushner, will meet with King Mohammed VI at Morocco
(Photo: GPO)
Through previous election campaigns, Netanyahu has strongly undermined his political alliance with leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The current view is that Netanyahu hopes to strengthen his position again in the upcoming elections by using his foreign ties, especially the new relationship between Israel and Morocco.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.