Morocco and Israel are facing challenges in the context of the continuing armed conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement, said Morr Link in an opinion paper published in Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) last week.
While the two countries have established ties based on common interests, the report highlights the need for Israel to recognize the impact of its conflict with the Palestinians on its relations with Morocco and the rest of the Arab world.
As these issues endure, Morocco must engage in a balancing act between maintaining its connection to Israel with that of its people’s sentiments and ambitions. Delicate diplomacy is required to establish a balance between national interests, regional expectations, and Middle Eastern peace ambitions.
The institute emphasized that–while Moroccan and Israeli security, economic, and political interests are strong–they cannot supersede the harmful impact of this regional conflict on what would ideally constitute a long-lasting, amicable relationship.
Morocco, in particular, is under intense regional and political pressure to reconsider its relationship with Israel. Rabat must avoid being regarded as abandoning the Palestinians or breaking with the Arab consensus, which might spark popular indignation.
The article also addresses the impact of recent protests in Morocco in favor of the Palestine cause, which have urged a break with Tel Aviv.
These protests–together with criticism from Morocco’s internal political structure–illustrate the difficulties in normalizing relations between the two nations.
Morocco’s efforts to retain a traditional stance–denouncing Israel yet advocating for a cease-fire–highlight the complexities of this diplomatic tightrope.
The history of Israeli-Moroccan relations was also discussed, recalling Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s visit to Morocco after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, followed by the breakdown in relations after the outbreak of the second Intifada.
The Abraham Accords, to which Morocco became a signatory, marked a period of relative calm in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2020.
The report concludes by stressing that, although Morocco and Israel share common political, security and economic interests, significant progress in their relations depends on Israel’s commitment to the political process aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The resumption of ties between Morocco and Israel, despite possessing a strong foundation on several fronts, remains dependent on a comprehensive and peaceful solution to the regional conflict.
In this complicated geopolitical backdrop, the following months will indicate whether the two nations can overcome these hurdles and improve their ties.