Defense Industry: Avnon Group Capitalizes on Morocco-Israel Relations

Rabat – Avnon Group, an Israeli firm specializing in security, is looking to expand into the Moroccan market as relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv continue to warm.

Avnon Group, which has sold drone defense systems to Morocco and the UAE, wants to build more partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa.

“It’s a new playground,” the group’s Chief Marketing Officer and Board Director Stacy Dotan told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), referring to the MENA region.

Speaking about her company’s plans to capitalize on the Abraham Accords, Dotan stated that the Israeli group continues to carry out discreet deals with Arab partners to avoid retaliation from Iran or the general public.

Avnon has sold Skylock, an air defense system to protect from drone attacks, to Morocco and the UAE. The company’s dealings with Abu Dhabi pre-date the regional accords.

The Israeli security group is currently in talks with Gulf countries, Dotan says. The meetings seek to identify potential partnerships in the sectors of border security, cyber defense, and bomb disposal.

The Gulf’s rapprochement with the Israeli defense industry comes in response to escalating tensions with Iran and its allies in Lebanon and Yemen.

Israeli security officials cited by WSJ say that they have had more than 150 meetings with counterparts in Morocco, Bahrain, and the UAE since the signing of the Abraham Accords in late 2020.

As Morocco and Gulf countries increase their military and defense deals with Israel to protect their territories from foreign intervention, Israeli-based security companies such as Avnon Group are the profiteers.

“You’re not looking to go in and sell everything all at once,” Dotan commented.“You’re building up a relationship with your local partner. Once you’ve done a couple of small projects, they know they can trust you.”

The US remains the largest supplier of arms in the MENA region, with the country supplying 91% of Morocco’s arms. The rest comes from France and the UK.

China is also emerging as a key supplier of the Moroccan defense industry. Earlier this month, Spanish news outlet OkDiario reported that Morocco is purchasing unmanned Wing Long II drones.