Israel’s army chief made the first ever official visit to Morocco this week to strengthen military ties as the two countries continue to grow closer following a normalisation deal in 2020 that has alienated Morocco’s neighbour, Algeria.
Israeli army chief Aviv Kohavi met with the Inspector General of the Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces Belkhir El Farouk on Monday, as well as the country’s minister delegate in charge of defence administration, Abdellatif Loudiyi, and intelligence chief Brahim Hassani,
During the discussions, Morocco noted an "interest in jointly setting up industrial defence projects in Morocco", the kingdom's army chief said in a statement.
"The meetings discussed opportunities for military cooperation, both in exercises and training, as well as in the operational and intelligence fields," a statement said.
IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Aviv Kohavi was welcomed today by an honor guard at the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) HQ in Rabat.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 19, 2022
The honor guard was led by the Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and other senior Moroccan military officials. 🇮🇱🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/Cjnhs7gTAz
Encouraged by the United States, Morocco re-established ties with Israel in 2020, after cutting them off two decades earlier during the second Palestinian intifada in 2000.
As part of the deal, the US agreed to recognise Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory, where the Algeria-backed Polisario Front has long demanded an independence referendum, but which Rabat considers an integral part of the kingdom.
The decision inflamed a long-standing rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, which in August last year cut diplomatic ties with Morocco.
Algeria says the decision was based on “hostile acts” by Morocco, and its relations with “the Zionist entity”, referring to Israel.
Military ties
Since the normalisation, a stream of Moroccan and Israeli officials have visited each others' countries and signed cooperation deals in various fields.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, on a visit to Morocco last year, signed a security agreement making it easier for Rabat to acquire high-tech exports from Israel's defence industry.
Last month, Israeli military observers for the first time attended the annual "African Lion" military drills involving thousands of personnel from several nations, co-organised by Morocco and the US.
(with wires)
