Slow progress in Morocco-Israel ties five years after normalisation

Five years after Morocco, Israel and the United States signed a tripartite declaration restoring diplomatic ties as part of a US-brokered wave of regional normalisation, progress in normalisation between Rabat and Tel Aviv has been slow, shaped by regional conflict and domestic opposition.

The agreement, signed in December 2020 under US auspices, marked a dramatic shift after Morocco severed relations with Israel in 2000 following the second Palestinian intifada. However, as the agreement entered its sixth year on 22 December 2025, relations between the two countries have fallen short of early expectations. 

The war in Gaza which began in October 2023 has cast a long shadow over ties between Morocco and Israel. The genocidal Israeli military campaign in the enclave has affected the diplomatic engagement that characterised the first three years of resumed ties.

In the early period after normalisation, Israeli officials made frequent visits to Rabat, and the two sides signed cooperation deals covering diverse fields including the military, the economy, health and agriculture. By contrast, no visits by Israeli officials were recorded in 2025.

Morocco has also resisted upgrading diplomatic representation to full embassies, with only liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv.

Military cooperation, however, has continued. In 2025, Morocco and Israel signed several defence deals, including Moroccan purchases of artillery systems and drones from Israeli companies. 

The fifth anniversary of normalisation comes amid sustained street protests and pressure from civil society groups and political parties for the agreement to be scrapped and for Israel’s liaison office in Rabat to be closed.

Mohammed Riahi Idrissi, secretary-general of the Moroccan Commission for the Support of the Community’s Causes, told The New Arab's sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the anniversary is “not merely a date on the calendar, but an open moral wound and a historical responsibility that requires continued struggle until normalisation is overturned, Palestinian rights are upheld and Morocco’s dignity and standing are preserved”.

"We are renewing our rejection of the agreement and the accelerating steps of normalisation that followed it, and we oppose all forms of normalisation with Israel, which we regard as a colonial and racist entity founded on dispossession, displacement and war crimes,” he added.

“Normalisation cannot be a sovereign choice or a national interest but rather a direct involvement in legitimising the occupation and whitewashing its crimes. It contradicts Morocco’s historical support for Palestine, reflected in nationwide protests since the Gaza war began.”

Idrissi pointed out that the fifth anniversary comes in a context of "escalating Israeli crimes against Palestinians" alongside "killing, displacement and settlement expansion in violation of international law". 

He praised the protests and actions undertaken by Moroccans since the agreement was signed, saying they expressed widespread rejection of normalisation and the deals with Israel reached afterwards. These included nearly 40 agreements and memoranda of understanding, alongside a rise in trade that had been negligible before normalisation.

Idrissi called for “the immediate and comprehensive cancellation of the normalisation agreement in line with popular opposition".

The joint declaration marked a new phase in bilateral relations following the second Palestinian intifada in 2000. The announcement came amid a broader regional push, during which several Arab states, including the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan, signed normalisation agreements in what became known as the Abraham Accords.

However, Morocco’s agreement differed from the others in being tripartite, involving the US as well as Israel. It included reciprocal commitments, most notably US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and support for Morocco’s autonomy plan as “the only basis for a just and lasting solution” to the dispute. 

The agreement also included an “immediate resumption of official contacts” between Israel and Morocco, which saw the reopening of the liaison offices.

While the flurry of agreements and high-level visits in the first three years pointed to a marked rapprochement, Ismail Hamoudi, a political science professor at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that relations have since “settled into their natural state, and the cooperation is now focused on agriculture, military industry and security”, describing them as the three centres of gravity in bilateral ties, managed at a strategic level due to their sensitivity.

“This sensitivity stems from the tripartite nature of the commitment involving Morocco, the US and Israel; any retreat on one part of the agreement would undermine the others,” Hamoudi said. “For example, former US President Joe Biden reversed many Trump-era policies, but he kept Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.”

This helped to prevent “rollback of steps taken since December 2020," Hamoudi added.

"However, progress on remaining commitments, such as opening an [Israeli] consulate in Dakhla in Western Sahara, has been slow due to several factors, including popular opposition in Morocco and the war in Gaza.”

Looking ahead, Hamoudi said the most likely scenario is the continuation of slow progress with deeper cooperation in agriculture, the military industry and security.

He said this would take place within new balances of interest, including military industry cooperation with countries such as Turkey, India and Brazil, while avoiding any rollback of gains made by the three parties.

 In 2025, Morocco continued to bolster its military capabilities with Israeli weaponry, including precision-guided missiles, alongside other advanced equipment.

Israeli troops from the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, an elite Israeli army unit, also took part in the US-led African Lion military exercises in Morocco between 14 April and 23 May, alongside forces from about 20 other countries.

Mohamed Chkair, a researcher in security and military affairs, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that military cooperation between the two countries will “continue and expand for two main reasons. The first relates to state logic and the pursuit of military balance with Algeria, whose military doctrine views Morocco as its primary adversary within their regional rivalry.” 

The second factor is the political influence of Israel’s Jewish community of Moroccan origin within Israeli decision-making circles. Morocco’s strategic alliance with the United States will further strengthen military cooperation with Israel.