In the first four months of the year alone, trade has reached 29 million dollars

Morocco and Israel increase their commercial ties by 150%

PHOTO/ARCHIVO - Mosaico con las banderas de Marruecos e Israel, como símbolo de las buenas relaciones existentes
photo_camera PHOTO/ARCHIVE - Mosaic with the flags of Morocco and Israel, as a symbol of the existing good relations

Morocco is strengthening its trade relations with Israel by leaps and bounds. What four years ago was a practically non-existent relationship is now a solid and well-established link between the regional leader and its Israeli ally. In just four months of this year, trade between Rabat and Tel Aviv has reached 29 million euros, reflecting a 150% increase compared to the same period last year. In fact, the month of April alone accounted for nearly four million of the total in what has been an exponential growth since 2020.

When at the end of that year, under the auspices of Donald Trump, Moroccans and Israelis began their relations, both sides made it clear that one of their priorities was to promote significant cooperation in economic terms. For three years now, the volume of trade has only increased. According to data from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, as early as January, trade grew by 600% compared to last year, reaching nearly $14 million. In 2022, trade between the two countries reached 180 million dollars, 160% more than in 2020, but still far from the goal set by the Hebrew country.

FOTO/ARCHIVO - Banderas de Israel y Marruecos
PHOTO/FILE - Flags of Israel and Morocco

Israel wants to reach 500 million. That is the figure they hope to reach in the not too distant future, something they have once again made clear at the 15th International Agricultural Exhibition. Nir Barkat, the Israeli Minister of Economy, believes that Morocco is "very well positioned to be a gateway to Africa and for Israelis to feel comfortable coming here and setting up joint ventures with Moroccan companies". He speaks of Rabat as the regional leader and one of the continent's strongest economies, which, he says, makes his country's willingness to encourage trade even greater.

In terms of exports, Israel has brought a volume of 40 million dollars to the Moroccan country in 2022, including chemical products, which account for almost half of the total, 43%. In addition, machinery and transport products are two of the products that complete the podium of highest representation with 19% and 15%, respectively. On the other hand, Rabat has exported 140 million dollars worth of goods, with textile products accounting for 60% of the total. Food products are another major source of exports, accounting for 36%.

PHOTO/AMIR COHEN  - El Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Marruecos, Nasser Bourita, espera fuera del Hotel Kedma, la ubicación de la Cumbre de Negev, a la que asistieron el Secretario de Estado de EE. UU., Antony Blinken, y los Ministros de Relaciones Exteriores de Israel, los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Bahrein, Marruecos y Egipto en Sde Boker, Israel, 28 de marzo de 2022
PHOTO/AMIR COHEN - Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita waits outside the Kedma Hotel, the location of the Negev Summit, attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Foreign Ministers of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt in Sde Boker, Israel, March 28, 2022.

It is precisely this good harmony between Morocco and Israel that worries Algeria. The country that aspires - or should - to compete with the Alawi kingdom for the leadership of North Africa is mired in a double crisis that is preventing it from waking up from its diplomatic lethargy. Algiers is combining its internal social crisis with the crisis it has been experiencing for months in its relations with other countries. And in this context of instability, Morocco is steadily moving towards an increasingly differentiated leadership.

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