The first direct passenger flights from Israel to Morocco departed on Sunday, simply six months after the 2 international locations signed an settlement to deepen diplomatic ties.
The airline stated in an announcement that greater than 100 passengers on an Israeli flight departed from Tel Aviv for Marrakesh.
At least three flights per week are deliberate.
An El Al flight took off from Ben Gurion Airport at 11:35 a.m. native time (0835 UTC/GMT).
The airport lounge was embellished in conventional Moroccan fashion for the occasion.
Israel’s tourism minister, Joel Rajozov, stated the brand new direct flights would “help advance fruitful tourism, trade and economic cooperation and diplomatic agreements between the two countries.”
The transfer to strengthen ties between Israel and Morocco got here after the Trump administration agreed to a normalization pact of US brokerage.
A one-time flight from Tel Aviv to Rabat carrying US diplomats and officers occurred in December to have a good time the deal.
Lapid turns into the primary Israeli overseas minister to go to Morocco
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated on Monday that he plans to go to Morocco later this month as soon as air hyperlinks are restored.
“After my go to to Morocco, [Moroccan Foreign] Minister [Nasser] Bourita will go to Israel to launch the mission right here.
Details of Lapid’s go to are but to be confirmed, however it will likely be the primary official go to by an Israeli overseas minister to Morocco.
What did the connection between Israel and Morocco appear like?
Morocco and Israel have by no means had full diplomatic relations, however till 2000 Rabat had a liaison workplace in Tel Aviv.
Relations have been severed in the course of the Second Palestinian Intifada, or rebellion, of 2000–2005.
Similar agreements are signed between the Israeli authorities and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.
Close allies of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have known as the agreements a “betrayal” of Palestinian causes, doubtlessly affecting the Middle East peace course of.
In response to the announcement of the cope with the United Arab Emirates, veteran Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi tweeted, “May you never be sold by your” buddies.
Israel elevated relations as Berlin relations soured
The rapprochement between Israel and Morocco comes as relations between Rabat and Berlin bitter.
Two months earlier, Morocco recalled its ambassador to Germany, accusing the German authorities of a “disastrous attitude to the Moroccan Sahara issue”.
Rabat has used the time period to explain the disputed territory of Western Sahara that the US acknowledged as belonging to Morocco below former President Donald Trump.
Germany has to date refused to conform, suggesting talks on the United Nations to resolve the problem.
Western Sahara was beforehand occupied by Spain till 1975 when Morocco annexed the colony.
The transfer triggered a conflict that yr between the Moroccan authorities and the Sahrawi nationalist Polisario Front, which seeks self-determination for the area.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
