Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz arrived late Tuesday evening November 23 in Rabat for a historic visit to Morocco, aimed at strengthening security cooperation between the two countries, a year after the normalization of their relations and in full tension. between Algiers and Rabat.
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Before his departure from Tel Aviv, he spoke of
"an important trip to Morocco which has a historical touch because it is the first formal visit of an
(Israeli)
Minister of Defense
to this country"
.
“We will sign cooperation agreements and continue to strengthen our relations. It is very important that this trip is a success, ”
added Benny Gantz, who is due to meet on Wednesday with the Moroccan ministers of national defense and foreign affairs.
A year after the normalization of their relations, this stay aims to
"establish the cornerstone of future security relations between Israel and Morocco"
, told AFP a source familiar with the visit, specifying that an agreement -frame on this was going to be signed.
“Until now, there was some cooperation, but here we are really going to formalize it.
It is a public declaration of our partnership, ”
added the official.
Read alsoThe head of Israeli diplomacy begins a historic visit to Morocco
The two countries had established diplomatic relations in the early 1990s before Morocco ended it at the start of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s. Israel and Morocco reestablished relations in December 2020 in the framework of the “Abraham Accords”, a process of normalization of relations between the Hebrew state and Arab countries supported by the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
Washington had recognized at the same time the
“full sovereignty”
of Morocco over Western Sahara, a territory disputed with the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front supported by Algeria.
Benny Gantz's visit comes as Algiers severed its relations with Rabat in August because of
“hostile actions”
by the kingdom and the Polisario Front decided on Friday to
“intensify”
its armed struggle against Morocco.
Read alsoMorocco and Israel will open reciprocal embassies
By meeting Monday in Washington with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, gave strong support to the
“serious and realistic”
autonomy plan
advocated by Morocco to settle the conflict in Western Sahara.
In addition, the two parties stressed the importance of
"the continuous deepening"
of Moroccan-Israeli relations.
For Bruce Maddy-Weitzman, specialist in Israeli-Moroccan relations at Tel Aviv University, the first visit of an Israeli Minister of Defense to Morocco in full tension between the two heavyweights of the Maghreb does not seem to be a pure coincidence. .
