Morocco, Israel Agree to “Upgraded Ties,” Including Opening Embassies, Economic Cooperation, Economic, Resuming Direct Flights

The U.S. hosted the foreign ministers of Morocco and Israel for talks that resulted in an upgraded relationship, including the opening of new embassies, the appointment of ambassadors, and the resumption of direct commercial flights. 

The meeting hosted by U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz in New York was attended by the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar. Representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kazakhstan participated in the event.

Morocco was one of the four Arab countries to join the Abraham Accords in December 2020, marking the first step toward normalizing relations with Israel. The accords held—and grew, with Kazakhstan joining—even after the wars in Gaza and Lebanon following the October 7th terrorist attacks, orchestrated by Hamas.

As part of the deal, direct flights between Israel and Morocco should resume before the end of the year. Arkia recently relaunched flights from Tel Aviv to Marrakech. El Al-owned Sun D’Or and IsraAir are set to launch flights shortly. 

Royal Air Maroc, Morocco’s flag carrier, launched flights to Israel in March 2022, but was suspended after the October 7th terrorist attacks. (With RAC relaunching flights, it could lead to cheaper flights between the U.S. and Israel, as the airline often sold cheaper tickets before suspending flights.) 

As many as 200,000 Israelis visited in the year prior to the October 7th terrorist attacks. Despite a Level 3 travel advisory, Israelis have returned to Morocco in strong numbers, the Times of Israel reported.

“The friendship between the Moroccan and Jewish peoples has deep roots and a rich history,” Israeli Foreign Minister Sa’ar said. “The declaration we signed today outlines practical ways to upgrade ties between Israel and Morocco for the benefit of both peoples, and we will work to implement it.”

In a joint statement, released by the U.S. Mission to the UN, the countries said they “reaffirm the spirit of the Abraham Accords and continue to believe the establishment of full diplomatic, peaceful and friendly relations between Morocco and Israel is in the common interest of both countries and will advance the cause of peace and unlock new opportunities for the entire region… The participants understand that deeper regional integration, building on this historic foundation, will lead to further peace, stability, and shared prosperity across the Middle East and beyond.”

The statement added that the countries discussed how best to continue promoting dynamic and innovative economic bilateral cooperation and to expand cooperation in trade; finance and investment; innovation and technology; tourism; water, agriculture, and food security; development; regional security; and energy and telecommunications. 

As part of the deal, Israel and the U.S. also reaffirmed their recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. They agreed to advance high-level visits in the coming months.