Israel, Morocco Agree to Upgrade Diplomatic Ties

Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade their diplomatic missions from liaison offices to full embassies and exchange ambassadors after a trilateral meeting in New York involving Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz. The agreement builds on Morocco’s December 2020 normalization with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords and includes plans to restore direct commercial flights between Rabat and Tel Aviv before the end of the year, arrange reciprocal senior-level visits, and finalize investment-protection and double-taxation agreements by 2026. Washington and Jerusalem also reiterated recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and endorsed Rabat’s autonomy proposal as the basis for resolving the dispute. The measures are intended to deepen economic and political ties, although Morocco had not independently confirmed the diplomatic upgrade in all reporting at the time.