Moroccan team in Israel to set up liaison office: source
Last updated on: 29 December,2020 08:31 am
Moroccan officials are in Israel laying groundwork for opening of a liaison office in Jewish state.
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Moroccan officials are in Israel laying the groundwork for the opening of a liaison office in the Jewish state, a source familiar with the topic told AFP on Monday.
The Moroccan "technical" team landed on Sunday, days after the North African kingdom and Israel signed a US-sponsored normalisation agreement in Rabat, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The team was expected to remain in the country for a few days and would be followed at a later date by a larger delegation, the source added, without providing further details.
Morocco is the third Arab nation this year to normalise ties with the Jewish state under US-brokered deals, while Sudan has pledged to follow suit.
Four bilateral deals were signed Tuesday between Israel and Morocco, centring on direct air links, water management, connecting financial systems and a visa waiver arrangement for diplomats.
The countries are also due to reopen diplomatic offices.
On Friday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had invited Morocco s King Mohammed VI for a visit during a phone call.
Morocco closed its liaison office in Tel Aviv in 2000, at the start of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
The kingdom has North Africa s largest Jewish community of about 3,000 people, and Israel is home to 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin.