Rabat – Israeli arms sales reached a new record, with defense exports totaling $12.5 billion last year. The result is attributed to purchases from countries that signed the Abraham Accords with Israel, including Morocco.
According to the Times of Israel, Israel’s arms exports reached $12.5 billion in 2022 against $11.4 billion in 2021.
“Between 2011 and 2016, that number hovered between $5.6 billion and $7.5 billion,” The Times of Israel reported, suggesting that officials emphasized a significant demand for Israeli arms by Arab countries that re-established ties with Israel.
Arms purchases from Morocco, UAE, and Bahrain accounted for 24% of the arms sales from Israel.
The number represents an increase of 7% compared to 2021.
Morocco is among the countries that signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords with Israel in 2020. Since then, the two countries frequently emphasized their determination to boost bilateral ties and cooperation at different levels -including security and trade.
As of April, trade between Morocco and Israel witnessed a 150% increase in the first four months of 2023 compared to the same period last year.
Within the first four months, trade between Morocco and Israel reached $28.9 million, with April alone accounting for $3.8 billion of the total number.
As for Morocco’s military purchases, the North African country maintains the 29th position among the top 40 largest importers of major arms in 2022, according to the 2023 report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The report’s data shows that Morocco imports 76% of its arms from the US, followed by France (15%), and China (6.8%).
