Former Mossad Chief Praises King Mohammed VI’s Influence in Israel-Morocco Peace Deal

Under the title "King Mohammed VI of Morocco paves the way for peace," Ben Barak, currently a member of the Knesset, states that "the State of Israel has always considered Morocco a moderate Arab nation with immense influence in the Arab world, and the esteem of King Mohammed VI among world leaders, as well as his special status within the Arab League, constitute a huge political and strategic advantage [...]."

Stressing that this normalization agreement, which will have a multitude of geostrategic implications, is the result of work in progress for many years, he recalls the visit of the late Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, to Morocco, a visit crowned by the opening of liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat. These were closed following the second Intifada and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "but the two countries continued to maintain unofficial relations during the intervening years."

"The unique leadership of King Mohammed VI will lead to an unshakable relationship with Israel and the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations in the near future," he foresees, saluting the King who has benevolent relations with the country’s Jewish community and the more than one million Israelis of Moroccan origin, who are eager to return to the homes they left behind.

According to Ben Barak, the recall in May 2018 of the Moroccan ambassador to Iran and the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador to Rabat are the patent expression of the Sovereign’s seriousness in the fight against global terrorism. Morocco, a promoter of peace in the region, is determined to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the framework of a two-state solution, "an option" that would, according to him, be unforgivable not to implement.