An Israeli official announced Thursday that Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade their liaison offices to full embassies, appoint ambassadors, expand direct flights including Royal Air Maroc by end of 2026, and complete investment protection and double-taxation agreements by year's end. The agreement also includes high-level reciprocal visits in the coming months.
Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade their liaison offices to full embassies, appoint ambassadors, expand direct flights including Royal Air Maroc flights by end of 2026, and complete investment protection and double-taxation agreements by year's end, an Israeli official said Thursday. The agreement also includes high-level reciprocal visits in the coming months. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced the upgrade following a trilateral meeting in New York with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and the US ambassador to the UN, as The Zioneer reported Wednesday evening (21:35 Jerusalem). The official said Israel has asked Morocco to build a large embassy in Tel Aviv rather than continue using its current makeshift office, and expressed hope the embassy would eventually relocate to Jerusalem.
As The Zioneer reported in its first alert Wednesday evening, the trilateral meeting set the stage for the upgrade, which was then detailed across subsequent thread updates. The initial report confirmed the mutual opening of embassies; later updates added expanded direct flights, the economic agreements, and the US role. Bilateral trade has reached $6.2 billion this year, and a quarter of Morocco's military purchases now come from Israel, according to the official.
The upgrade deepens the normalization framework of the Abraham Accords, which have remained intact despite regional tensions and the Iran conflict, Israeli assessments indicate. The United States has been a central broker, with Ambassador Waltz participating in the trilateral. As The Zioneer previously reported, Morocco and Israel signed a comprehensive defense cooperation agreement in June 2026, formalizing intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and defense exports. The diplomatic push follows other recent Israeli achievements in the region, including Somaliland's opening of an embassy in Jerusalem in June and Colombia's commitment to restore full ties and move its embassy to Jerusalem.
Royal Air Maroc's exact timeline for resuming flights to Israel has not yet been announced. The economic agreements are to be signed by the end of 2026. The question of whether the Moroccan embassy will be sited in Tel Aviv or eventually relocate to Jerusalem remains open, with Israel expressing a clear preference for Jerusalem. The upgrade still requires formal ratification by Moroccan authorities, though the Israeli official described the move as a 'diplomatic-economic leap forward.'
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