Morocco says it will boost military ties with Israel

Morocco’s army said Tuesday it had agreed with Israel to strengthen military cooperation including in intelligence and cybersecurity, following defense meetings in Rabat.

The two countries “agreed to further strengthen cooperation and expand it to other areas, including in intelligence, air defense and electronic warfare,” the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said in a statement.

The announcement on Tuesday followed the first meeting of the monitoring committee for Moroccan-Israeli defense cooperation in the Moroccan capital.

The two-day meeting examined military cooperation, including in the fields of “logistics, training and the acquisition and modernization of equipment.”

The two countries formalized ties in 2020, following similar agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The agreements were brokered by the Trump administration and are together known as the Abraham Accords.

The deal with Morocco followed the United States’ recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, in a quid pro quo for re-establishing ties with Israel.

That sparked concern in neighboring Algeria, long-time backers of the Polisario movement, which seeks an independence referendum for Western Sahara.

Israel has not formally recognized Morocco’s sovereignty in Western Sahara, despite pressure from Rabat to do so.

In November 2021, Israel’s then-defense minister Benny Gantz signed a memorandum of understanding in Rabat outlining security relations with Morocco.