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Rabat – Israel-based news channel i24NEWS has opened two offices in the cities of Rabat and Casablanca, becoming the first Israeli media outlet to operate in Morocco.
I24NEWS CEO Frank Melloul announced the opening of the two offices on Monday night during a ceremony at the Chellah hall in Rabat.
According to Melloul, the channel has had a loyal audience in Morocco, “even before the signing of the normalization agreement between Israel and Morocco, and actually throughout i24NEWS’ activities in the past several years.”
Mellouli said that the company is “excited to open branches in Morocco,” especially after seeing that the Moroccan audience is “very engaged and active on social media networks.”
The Israeli channel hopes the new launch will help broaden its coverage in Morocco, Melloul indicated, adding that their bureaus around the world allow them to cover events “from different angles and perspectives, to expand and diversify our content offerings, and dive into the important and interesting stories.”
Read also: Moroccan FM Arrives in Israel for ‘Historic’ Negev Summit
The Israeli news outlet aspires to become a leading player in the media and news industry in the African continent and the Maghreb region. According to Melloul, this will be possible thanks to the new bureaus in Morocco.
Launched in 2013, i24NEWS covers international news and current affairs with a focus on the Middle East. It broadcasts in English, Arabic, and French.
In addition to the Tel Aviv headquarters, i24News also broadcasts from its studios in the United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to i24NEWS, its “unique coverage is to a large extent due to the special make-up of the channel – more than 150 journalists who hail from 35 different countries and who work effortlessly together.”
As a result of the re-establishment of diplomatic ties in December 2020, Morocco and Israel have been exploring new opportunities for cooperation in various sectors.
Trade between the two countries has nearly doubled since the signing of the Abraham accords, increasing from MAD 699 million ($70 million) in 2020 to MAD 1.2 billion ($130 million) in 2021.
