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Rabat – Morocco is planning to turn its Liaison Office in Tel Aviv into an official embassy, US news outlet Axios reported on Wednesday.
The report quoted sources familiar with the topic, saying that the decision is part of Morocco’s plans to upgrade ties with Israel and accelerate the implementation of terms of the “normalization agreement” the two countries signed in December 2020.
Following the resumption of diplomatic ties, Both Morocco and Israel went on to open their liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat, respectively.
According to Axios’s sources said that Rabat’s move to turn its liaison office into an embassy could be the “first tangible achievement in the Biden’s administration’s efforts to advance the Trump-era normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab world.”
Meanwhile, the news comes as the new US administration reiterates its commitment to the terms of the Abraham Accords, including the US’ recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
Just last week, the White House released a press release reaffirming the US’ full support for the peace rapprochement between Israel and countries in the MENA region.
“The U.S. fully supports the normalization of the relationship between Israel and Middle Eastern countries — that you’re making some headway on — and Africa as well,” President Biden said during his meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Morocco announced its decision to establish ties with Israel on December 10, 2020.
King Mohammed VI announced the move in a public statement, emphasizing the country’s attachment to its Jewish c heritage and its longstanding history of tolerance and interfaith dialogue.
The Moroccan and Israeli governments officialized the decision on December 22, 2020, by signing a joint tripartite declaration with the US.
The declaration acknowledges Morocco’s role in ensurifng stability and peace in the region, recalling the special ties King Mohammed VI maintains with the Moroccan Jewish community across the world, including in Israel.
Under the decision to establish full contacts between Tel-Aviv and Rabat, both countries will also authorize direct flights between Moroccan and Israeli destinations.
Israeli airlines are expected to operate flights between both countries starting this month, reports said in June.
Morocco renewed its decision to boost ties with Israel in a recent statement King Mohammed VI issued on the election of new Israeli PM Naftali Bennet.
In the message, the King renewed Morocco’s keenness to continue “its active role and its benevolent endeavors aimed at serving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and guarantees all the peoples of the region to live side by side, in security, stability, and harmony.”
