Israel, Morocco sign military cooperation agreement

By Abdelraouf Arna'out
JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army on Friday announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for military cooperation with Morocco.

The MoU was signed during a visit by an Israeli military delegation to the North African nation.

According to the Times of Israel newspaper, the Israeli army delegation was headed by Tal Kelman, the military official in charge of Iran affairs, and Effie Defrin, the military’s international cooperation commander, and the army's Intelligence Directorate’s Operations Division commander, without giving his name.

A military statement said three senior army officials met in Rabat with their Moroccan counterparts, including Morocco’s military chief Belkhir El Faruk.

"The officials discussed the historical and cultural connection between the countries and mutual interests in the Middle East, and expressed their desire to promote extensive military cooperation," the statement said.

The army said the visit was the first for the Israeli army to Morocco.

There was no official comment on the visit from the Moroccan authorities.

On Dec. 10, 2020, the two countries announced the resumption of diplomatic relations after they were suspended in 2000 following the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada.

Morocco was the fourth Arab country to agree to normalize ties with Israel in 2020 after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar