Israel and Morocco Sign Landmark Public Military Agreement, Experts Say

"Defense Minister Benny Gantz arrived in Morocco on November 24 to sign a military cooperation agreement between the two countries. To date, no other Arab state has publicly signed a military agreement with Israel. Even Egypt and Jordan, as well as other Arab states that maintain security cooperation with Israel, do so covertly," notes Professor Elie Podeh in an op-ed published by The Jerusalem Post.

According to him, Israel’s relationship with Morocco is long, rich and multidimensional, consisting of diplomatic, intelligence, military and civilian cooperation. "While official relations were conducted in secret, civil relations were partly public and have even been expanded and deepened in recent years," he explains, adding that cooperation between the two countries dates back to the 1960s against a backdrop of shared threats, primarily Egyptian under former President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

"Israel has also helped Morocco against another common enemy, Algeria. The organization of the clandestine Jewish immigration from Morocco to Israel has also led to a tightening of security ties," continues the author of The Decline of Arabic Unity, recalling that from the 1970s onwards, King Hassan II served as a secret mediator between Israel, Egypt, Syria and the PLO. According to Elie Podeh, Israel has also helped the kingdom in its fight against the Polisario, protected by Algeria. This aid "consisted mainly of advice on setting up a security barrier in the Sahara area that Morocco has taken control of," he recalls.

"The Israel-Morocco military agreement is an important achievement, especially since Israel was not required to pay for it. We should not rush to draw conclusions about other arenas and states, as we must remember that the Israel-Morocco relations were a special and different case, and remain so to this day," concludes the academic.