Morocco and Israel decided to raise their diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level 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. The sides also decided to appoint ambassadors to each other’s countries.
The decision does not mean that embassies have opened immediately or that ambassadors have begun their duties. Implementation requires reciprocal appointments, completion of diplomatic documents and the formal change in the status of the missions in Rabat and Tel Aviv. The names of the ambassadors and the implementation timetable have not yet been announced.
From liaison offices to embassy level
Morocco was among the Arab countries that decided on December 10, 2020, to resume diplomatic relations with Israel and enter a process of normalization. The step advanced as part of a trilateral diplomatic arrangement linked to the U.S. recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara.
A joint statement issued by Morocco, the United States and Israel on December 22, 2020, aimed to resume official contacts and establish peaceful, friendly relations. At the time, the plan was to reopen liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv instead of full-fledged embassies. Diplomatic contacts between the two countries continued within this framework without a transition to embassy status.
Economic and security ties became key areas of the relationship
Talks were held throughout 2021 on taking relations beyond the level of liaison offices. After normalization, economic cooperation, tourism, direct flights, security and defense emerged as key areas. The decision to move to the ambassadorial level aims to place these contacts on a more institutional diplomatic footing.
The step carries symbolic significance as the normalization that began in 2020 moves into a new phase and Israel’s normalization process with Arab countries expands within the framework of the Abraham Accords. However, Morocco’s rapprochement with Israel remains politically sensitive within the country and across the Arab world because of the Palestinian issue and the war in Gaza.
