Rabat – US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner will take the first commercial flight from Israel to Morocco next week to mark the two countries’ decision to re-establish diplomatic relations.
Bloomberg reports Kushner will be in Israel next Monday, December 21, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will then fly to Morocco the following day with an American delegation. Al Jazeera reports an Israeli delegation led by national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat will join Kushner.
Citing two people “familiar with his plans,” Bloomberg expects Kushner to sign bilateral agreements with Moroccan government officials in Rabat.
The agreements may be economic. US Ambassador to Morocco David Fischer said last week that the US will announce measures to improve trade and economic ties with Morocco and promote American investment in the country. Since Fischer’s statement, US automotive company Adient has announced new projects in Morocco.
The US diplomatic visit to Morocco is set to be the first since President Trump issued a presidential proclamation on December 10 recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Preceding Trump’s recognition was his announcement of the Morocco-Israel agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations. Morocco is the fourth Arab League country to do so, after the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan.
Rumors of a potential Morocco-Israel normalization deal had swirled for years. Most recently, reports circulated in August 2020 that Kushner was set to visit Morocco to finalize an agreement with Israel.
The visit was to build on the momentum of the normalization deal between the UAE and Israel. Kushner did not end up making the trip to Morocco, and Rabat put the rumors to rest.
However, the rumors ultimately proved true — similar to the case of Bahrain, whose King initially resisted the US normalization push — with King Mohammed VI appearing to decide that restored ties with Israel are in Morocco’s best interest.
The King has, however, tried to assure that Morocco’s position on the Palestinian cause remains unchanged, hoping that Rabat-Tel Aviv relations will only support the process for a peaceful two-state solution.
The re-established ties between Morocco and Israel include the reopening of liaison offices, trade relations, and the launch of direct flights between the two countries—which Kushner’s travel will celebrate.
Israeli airlines El Al and Israir have already expressed their eagerness to launch weekly Morocco-Israel flights, expecting them to be popular among Israeli clientele.
Kushner may board an El Al flight to Morocco next week as he did during his first trip from Israel to the UAE in August to mark the two countries’ normalization of relations.
