Israeli chargé d’affaires arrives in Rabat to open liaison office

Few days after the Israeli cabinet approved the normalization deal with Morocco, Israeli chargé d’affaires arrived in Rabat to start building its diplomatic network through reactivating the liaison office which has been closed since 2000.

David Goverin, who had served as ambassador to Egypt, will serve as a temporary “chargé d’affaires,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.

The liaison office has been operational from the 1990s until 2000 when Morocco closed it in reaction to the Palestinian Intifada.

The two countries resumed ties last month and a senior Israeli delegation visited Morocco to reiterate commitment to the deal and explore means to further boost bilateral cooperation in fields of technology, agriculture, industry and tourism.

Members of the Moroccan cabinet and their Israeli counterparts held talks following the deal to identify cooperation prospects.

Reports said that direct flights between the two countries will resume shortly.

Morocco hopes the deal will help attract some 200,000 Israeli tourists in 2021, especially as Israel hosts a Moroccan Jewish diaspora estimated at more than 1 million.

Meanwhile, Israeli media has reported that Netanyahu hopes for a visit to Israel by King Mohammed VI. There was no official confirmation from Morocco.