Israel and Morocco agree to upgrade diplomatic ties
Israel and Morocco have agreed to upgrade their diplomatic ties by elevating missions to full embassies and appointing ambassadors, in a move aimed at deepening a relationship restored under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
The agreement was announced after a meeting in New York involving Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN.
An Israeli government statement on X said the three officials affirmed their commitment to steps aimed at advancing relations between Israel and Morocco.
The measures include “elevating their respective diplomatic missions to the level of embassies, and appointing ambassadors”, the statement said.
Mr Saar said the officials had also agreed to expand direct flights between the countries to include Moroccan airlines, as well as advance high-level visits.
He said Israel and Morocco would work to conclude two economic agreements by the end of 2026, adding that the steps would be implemented “soon, God willing”.
“The relationship between Israel and Morocco is important and holds great potential for both our peoples,” Mr Saar said in a post on X. “We thank our American friends for their important contribution to strengthening it.”
Mr Waltz said the talks would advance the relationship in “security, trade, and regional integration.”
“The naysayers were wrong. Six years in, the Abraham Accords have withstood every test – and today in NY, we proved it again,” Mr Waltz wrote on X.
The countries established diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, joining Bahrain, Sudan and the UAE in moving towards normalisation with Israel.
Israel already has formal peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but the 2020 agreements marked a significant expansion of its diplomatic and economic engagement with Arab states.
The normalisation agreements drew concern from Palestinian leaders, who warned they could weaken a long-standing Arab position linking normalisation with Israel to an Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory and acceptance of Palestinian statehood.
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