Morocco’s $1.2 Billion Israeli Tank Deal in Jeopardy Amid Gaza Conflict

Bad news for the Moroccan army. The agreement sealed last June between Morocco and Israel for the acquisition of 200 Merkava MK3 tanks "is seriously compromised," report several specialized defense websites. Experts cite two main reasons. According to them, the use by the IDF currently at war against Hamas of all its weapons, including those decommissioned such as the Merkava MK3 "left aside since 2016" proves necessary. These weapons were to be renovated and transferred to Morocco for $1.2 billion. Experts also believe that sourcing weapons from Israel in this "very sensitive" context would not be to the liking of Moroccan public opinion.

The Merkava is an armored vehicle manufactured in Israel. Pillar of the Israel Defense Forces since the 1980s, the Merkava tanks would provide Morocco with superior firepower, advanced armor protection and technological advances that would significantly increase its combat effectiveness and operational readiness. These weapons can reach targets at a distance of 8 kilometers.

The other war that is detrimental to the Moroccan army is the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Its impact? We note the delay in the delivery to the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) of American Abrams tanks. The United States has sent 45 repaired T-72 tanks from the Czech Republic to Ukraine, which were intended for Morocco. At the behest of the US authorities, the Czech company Excalibur Army transferred T-72 tanks to Ukraine without authorization, in violation of the agreement with Rabat. To date, Morocco has only received 14 modernized tanks from the Czech Republic out of the 136 T-72B tanks purchased from Belarus.