Morocco, Israel and the United States soberly celebrated, Wednesday, December 22, the first anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the Shereefian kingdom and the Hebrew state, under the sponsorship of Washington, welcoming "a positive step" towards the peace in the region.

During a brief videoconference, the Covid-19 pandemic requires, the three heads of diplomacy - Nasser Bourita, Yaïr Lapid and Anthony Blinken - welcomed a partnership which aims to establish a "lasting peace" in the Middle East .

This normalization is part of the "Abrahamic accords" which saw several Arab countries normalize their relations with Israel under the administration of former US President Donald Trump.

“The United States is committed to supporting and expanding the Abrahamic Accords. We hope to see your liaison offices become embassies in the near future,” Blinken told his counterparts.

>> To read: Morocco and Israel sign historic security cooperation agreement

For his part, Nasser Bourita accepted Yaïr Lapid's invitation to visit Israel "very soon".

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he reiterated Morocco's support for the two-state solution in the Middle East.

Despite the pro-Palestinian sympathies of the Moroccan population, the "reactivation" of relations with Israel has not aroused massive protest because of the recognition by the United States, in exchange, of the "Moroccanness" of Western Sahara, considered as the "first national cause" in Morocco.

The two countries had established diplomatic relations in the early 1990s before Morocco ended it at the start of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s.

Security cooperation agreement

The Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine and Against Normalization, a coalition of far left and Islamist activists, called for sit-ins in several cities to protest against the tripartite agreement.

But the demonstration was banned in Rabat and the mobilization was modest elsewhere, according to videos posted on social networks.

A year later, the all-out normalization between Morocco - where a large Jewish community flourished - and Israel is advancing at a steady pace.

It has already resulted in the conclusion of an "unprecedented" security cooperation agreement during the recent visit to Rabat by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, to the chagrin of the Palestinians and neighboring Algeria.

Since then, Israeli and Moroccan media have echoed Morocco's acquisition of technologies from the Israeli defense industry.

The Hebrew state is one of the world's leading exporters of "kamikaze" drones and security software, such as the controversial NSO firm's Pegasus.

In addition, the Israeli Minister of the Economy, Orna Barbivai, is expected in the Moroccan capital in early 2022, according to the head of the Israeli liaison office in Morocco, David Govrin, quoted by a Moroccan media.

His visit "must constitute an important stage which will be marked by the signing of a large-scale economic framework agreement", assured David Govrin.

This anniversary comes in a tense North African context.

An ally of Moscow, Algiers in August broke off its relations with Rabat due to "hostile actions" by the kingdom, against a backdrop of regional rivalry and quarrel over the question of Western Sahara, which has for decades pitted Morocco against the separatists. Sahrawis of the Polisario Front supported by Algeria.

With AFP

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