Earlier this year during a visit to Morocco’s capital Rabat, I found myself, an American-Israeli, sharing a new vision for Morocco-Israel connections. My colleagues and I were there representing Israel, or rather, representing the Israeli innovation ecosystem. We came to meet with Moroccan ministries, public and private organizations, and investors, to explore how our two countries could collaborate in this new era of diplomatic relations in what we refer to as “Innovation Diplomacy.”
We talked about the goals set forth by King Mohammed VI in his ‘New Development Model’ to accelerate progress and prosperity for all Moroccans. The model presents an agenda that focuses on water, agriculture, energy, and logistics, and emphasizes innovation among its development priorities. Our Moroccan partners shared the challenges of adopting new models and new mindsets, and the promise of innovation to find adaptive and creative responses to economic, environmental, and societal problems.
Israel is no stranger to obstacles. Our natural resources are scarce, and not long ago, water security posed a threat to our wellbeing. The story we are able to tell, about how Israeli innovation has thrived because of necessity, of how the country evolved into becoming a leading global innovation hub, means we had much to share. But we also had much to learn.
Last week, we brought around 50 Israeli start-ups to Casablanca for a first-of-its-kind binational innovation conference bringing together government and business leaders in key climate sectors. We quickly found synergies between our two ecosystems’ needs and started building partnerships and understandings that focus on human capital challenges, building a healthy innovation ecosystem, and generating business engagements.
The three-day event unpacked our shared challenges and presented innovative solutions during workshops, startup showcases, investor pitches, and business meetings. The celebratory opening event headlined Andre Azoulay, Advisor to King Mohammed VI, a video message from Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, three Moroccan ministers, one Israeli Minister, 13 signed MOUs and a delegation of more than 50 Israeli investors, innovative companies and experts. Beyond that, and even more importantly, there was a genuine gathering of people hungry for connection and the promise that a new partnership could lead to real progress.
Nearly one million Israelis are Moroccan or are of Moroccan descent. Making up roughly 10% of the Israeli population, this community has influenced Israeli culture so deeply that it’s often hard to distinguish Moroccan traditions from Israeli ones. It permeates Israeli food, music, and social dynamic. Many are part of the country’s technology and innovation scene and as a result, joined us for this historic conference.
More than once during the week we heard calls of “welcome home” to the Israelis in the delegation whose families hailed from Morocco. At the same time, permeating the event hall was a sense that something big was happening, a new chapter to the Morocco-Israel story. Moroccans and Israelis of all backgrounds were creating relationships not based on their heritage but on water desalination, renewable energy, and AI platforms for climate mitigation. Sharing stories of culture was replaced by conversations about entrepreneurship, startup communities, tech transfer, and ecosystem building.
The event was just a milestone, though. We’ve already begun building out initiatives with our Moroccan partners that will take us into the future and build long-term, resilient relationships grounded in business collaboration. As the Moroccan Foreign Minister H.E. Nasser Bourita shared with us in a meeting after the event, this is an opportunity for the whole of Morocco to connect with the whole of Israel. We couldn’t be more excited to work with our Moroccan counterparts to help create opportunities for the tech sector of both countries. Together we can achieve great things for both our nations.
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