And the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement, last week, that Gantz will visit Morocco on November 24 and 25, during which he will meet with Moroccan officials.
Before leaving Tel Aviv for the Moroccan capital, Rabat, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz described his visit to Morocco as “historic.”
“We will depart for Morocco on an important and historic visit, we will sign cooperation agreements and we will continue to strengthen relations between the two countries,” Gantz told reporters at Ben Gurion Airport.
This visit aims to “lay the foundation stone for the establishment of future security relations between Israel and Morocco,” according to what AFP quoted an Israeli official as saying.
This is the first time that the Israeli Defense Minister is on an official visit to Morocco, since the resumption of bilateral relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv about a year ago.
Last December, Morocco and Israel agreed to resume bilateral contacts and diplomatic relations between the two countries, including opening diplomatic representations in Rabat and Tel Aviv, in addition to launching direct airlines and establishing economic relations.
Strengthening military cooperation
The visit of the Israeli Defense Minister to Morocco, which was described by Israeli media as “historic”, is of great importance, and according to observers, it would define the features of security cooperation between Rabat and Tel Aviv, and lay the foundation stone for defense cooperation between the two countries.
Moroccan expert on military and security affairs, Mohamed Choucair, says that this visit falls within the framework of downloading the agreement signed between Morocco and Israel last year, which included cooperation in several sectors, including the military sector.
Choucair added in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, “This visit will contribute to strengthening the cooperation that has existed for years between the intelligence services in the two countries, especially with the high professionalism that characterizes the work of the Moroccan apparatus, and its effective contribution to dismantling terrorist cells inside the Kingdom, and curbing curb it in a number of European countries.
The spokesman stresses the importance of this visit, which is the first of its kind by an Israeli defense minister to Morocco, in order to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the military field, and points to the Israeli development at the level of military technology, especially with regard to defense systems and the drone industry.
Drone industry
After the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced the date of Gantz’s visit, the Israeli newspaper, “The Jerusalem Post”, wrote that the defense cooperation agreements between Morocco and Israel will include programs to develop a local industry to produce “suicide” drones to enhance the Moroccan air arsenal.
Military expert Mohamed Choucair says that it is expected that during the visit of the Israeli Defense Minister to Morocco, agreements will be signed mainly related to cooperation in the field of manufacturing (Kamikaze) drones in the Kingdom, as Israel is one of the main exporters of this type of aircraft.
The spokesman considers that Rabat and Tel Aviv’s signing of the establishment of military factories in Morocco would open the door for Rabat to enter the era of military industries, and to attract investments by major countries in this field.
And Mohamed Choucair points out, “The importance of drones for Morocco, in order to paralyze any movements that might threaten its security at the level of the security belt in the Moroccan Sahara, which are monitored via satellites.”
In addition to the production of drones, the military expert expects that during this visit an agreement will be signed between the two countries, concerning the kingdom’s acquisition of an advanced missile defense system to protect Moroccan airspace.
Strong strategic partnership
Observers stress that the visit of the Israeli minister to Morocco and the upcoming signing of a memorandum of understanding in the military field reflect the two countries’ determination to develop and strengthen their joint cooperation in various fields.
Ahmed Dardari, head of the International Center for Crisis Monitoring and Policy Foresight, said, “The partnership between Morocco and Israel since the resumption of bilateral relations between the two countries is strong and fruitful, and is expected to culminate in the signing of agreements to enhance cooperation in the military field.”
Dardari considers in a statement to “Sky News Arabia”, that “the experience that Morocco has accumulated at the military, security and intelligence levels has enabled it to position itself among the countries that keep pace with global challenges, which allows for the establishment of strategic partnerships with advanced countries in the military field, such as Israel.”
The spokesman continues, that Moroccan-Israeli cooperation in the manufacture of military weapons will enable Morocco to transform into a central African country at the level of military industries.
On the other hand, Dardari draws attention to the important role played by the Moroccan community in Israel in strengthening and strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
It is estimated that Israel includes more than 800,000 Jews of Moroccan origin on its territory, while about 3,000 Moroccan Jews live in the various regions of the kingdom.
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