A new stage in diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel is being planned. The two sides have agreed to raise their level of representation to embassy status and appoint ambassadors to each other’s countries.
The decision came in connection with a trilateral meeting attended by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. However, the move does not mean that the embassies have opened or that ambassadors have begun their duties. Mutual appointments, the completion of diplomatic documents and the formal change in the status of the missions in Rabat and Tel Aviv are required for implementation. The names of the ambassadors and the implementation schedule have not yet been announced.
From liaison offices to embassy status
Morocco was one of the Arab countries that decided on December 10, 2020, to restore diplomatic relations with Israel and enter a normalization process. The move proceeded as part of a trilateral diplomatic arrangement linked to the United States’ recognition of Morocco’s claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara.
In a joint statement issued on December 22, 2020, Morocco, the United States and Israel said they aimed to resume official contacts and establish peaceful and friendly relations. At the time, the two countries planned to reactivate liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv rather than establish full embassies. Diplomatic contacts therefore continued without the two missions attaining embassy status.
Economic and security ties became the main areas of cooperation
Throughout 2021, talks were held on advancing relations beyond the liaison-office level. After normalization, economic cooperation, tourism, direct flights, security and defense emerged as key areas. The decision to move to embassy-level ties aims to place these contacts within a more institutional diplomatic framework.
The move is symbolically significant as the normalization that began in 2020 enters a new phase and Israel’s normalization process with Arab countries expands within the framework of the Abraham Accords. At the same time, Morocco’s rapprochement with Israel remains politically sensitive in Morocco and across the Arab world because of the Palestinian issue and the war in Gaza.
