RABAT: Israel and Morocco signed a security agreement Wednesday making it easier for Rabat to acquire high-tech exports from Israel’s defence industry, as the countries expand ties following their normalisation deal last year.
The memorandum of understanding signed in Rabat by visiting Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Morocco’s minister in charge of defence administration, Abdellatif Loudiyi, was “unprecedented” for the Jewish state, an Israeli official said.
Israel has several security accords with allied nations, but the Morocco deal marks the first-of-its-kind agreement with a majority Arab nation, the official said, asking not to be named.
Israel has full diplomatic relations with only four Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
The Morocco deal came as Gantz made the first visit by an Israeli defence minister to the North African kingdom.
Israel ‘formalising’ defence ties with Morocco on minister’s visit
Gantz said the deal “will enable Israeli exports here (to Morocco)”.
Israel’s defence ministry oversees all security exports, with the Jewish state offering state-of-art products ranging from attack drones to the Iron Dome missile defence system.
The defence ministry said the Morocco MoU will establish “formal cooperation” on “operational planning, purchases, research development, and training”.
One Israeli product, the NSO’s Pegasus spyware, has already made its way to Morocco, according to Amnesty International and Paris-based organisation Forbidden Stories.
Rabat allegedly used it against French President Emmanuel Macron — a claim denied by Morocco which said it never bought the software and has filed lawsuits against French media and Amnesty.
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