Israel announces opening of embassies with Morocco, but Rabat has yet to confirm anything

The agreement was announced on Wednesday, September 16, by the Israeli government’s official Arabic-language account on X, reports Reuters.

The foreign ministers of the two countries are said to have agreed to raise the level of their diplomatic relations, currently maintained through liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv. These representations are to become embassies, with ambassadors appointed by both sides.

On Bladi.net : article 122605

No opening date or names have yet been announced. The decision would nevertheless mark the transition to full diplomatic relations, nearly six years after the official resumption of relations between Morocco and Israel.

Liaison offices opened since 2021

Morocco and Israel restored their relations in December 2020 as part of agreements negotiated under the auspices of the United States. The kingdom thus became the fourth Arab country to move closer to Israel that year, after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

The liaison offices reopened at the beginning of 2021. Several working groups were subsequently established to develop cooperation in the economic, tourism, technological and security fields.

On Bladi.net : Morocco and Israel to Form Joint Working Groups, Expanding Cooperation

The transformation of these offices into embassies would come after a long period of political cooling caused by the war in Gaza. Economic and security relations have nevertheless been maintained, while Israeli officials had been seeking for several months to revive political contacts with Rabat.

At the time of publication, Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued no public statement confirming the agreement announced by Israel. The arrangements and timetable for opening the two embassies therefore remain to be specified.