Visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Nasser Bourita, his Moroccan counterpart, signed off on Wednesday on an air service agreement between the North African kingdom and the state of Israel. They also agreed to cooperate in the fields of culture, sport and youth.
“Our ties with Israel are unlike any other ties,” Bourita, standing alongside his Israeli counterpart Lapid, told reporters on Wednesday, saying that Morocco’s Jewish heritage was a core component of its identity.
Morocco’s foreign minister told his visiting Israeli counterpart that their countries’ newly upgraded ties would bring economic benefits, and urged him to work towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Regarding the Palestinians, Bourita said, “There is a need to restore trust between all parties … and refrain from fuelling tension in order to pave the way for a political solution based on the two-state solution.”
The foreign ministers of Israel and Morocco are taking a new step towards strengthening ties between the two countries, signing three accords less than a year after agreeing to normalise relations.
Israel and Morocco agreed in December to resume diplomatic relations and re-launch direct flights under a deal brokered by former US President Donald Trump.
Palestinian officials have heavily criticised this move, saying Arab countries have set back the cause of peace and are perpetuating Israeli occupation by abandoning a longstanding demand that Israel gives up land for a Palestinian state.
