Morocco and Israel Deepen Military Ties Amid Growing Defense Partnership

Arms sales, joint exercises, humanitarian aid to Gaza... Moroccan-Israeli military cooperation has a bright future ahead. Israel is counting on Morocco to demonstrate to other Arab countries the benefits of a defense partnership, while simultaneously showcasing a parallel commitment to aid in Gaza, analyzes the newspaper Haaretz. At the end of May, Morocco signed a new contract with Israel’s Elbit Systems to acquire equipped armored turrets. These more powerful turrets will equip WhAP armored vehicles. In February, Elbit won the tender for the supply of 36 ATMOS 2000 artillery systems, mounted on autonomous trucks, for an amount between 150 and 200 million euros (about 1.6 to 2.1 billion Moroccan dirhams), reported the French economic newspaper La Tribune.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Elbit would already represent 11% of Morocco’s arms acquisitions, as the third supplier. Another arms sale: Israel Aerospace Industries signed a billion-dollar contract for the sale of a satellite to Morocco last summer.

On the diplomatic front, Morocco obtained Tel Aviv’s agreement to complete humanitarian aid. Throughout the past year, Moroccan transport planes have landed at Ben-Gurion Airport to deliver dozens of tons of food and medicine destined for Gazans – no other country has been granted such authorization. "Israel hopes to rally other Arab states to a form of cooperation of which Morocco has been the most accomplished illustration, going as far as allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza," explains Haaretz.