Morocco’s Foreign Minister: Ties with Israel ’Always Existed’ Before Normalization

"From our point of view, we are not talking about normalization because the relations were already normal - we are talking about restoring the relations between the two countries as they were - because there have always been relations. They have never ceased," he said in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot.

According to the minister, the relations between Israel and Morocco are special and cannot be compared to the relations Israel has with any other Arab country. "Morocco has an important history with the Jewish community, a particular history in the Arab world. The king (...) and the previous kings, including Hassan II, respected the Jews and protected them. Morocco’s relations with the Jews were special relations that you do not find in any other Arab country," he said.

On Thursday, outgoing US President Donald Trump announced the US recognition of the Moroccanness of the Western Sahara and the agreement to normalize diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel.