Morocco-Israel trade booms
The bond between Israel and Morocco continues to strengthen by leaps and bounds. The two countries established consolidated diplomatic relations in the wake of the Abraham Accords, by which several Arab countries established diplomatic relations with the Israeli state with a view to developing and pacifying the Middle East and North Africa, all under the auspices of the United States, first through the actions of the past administration of Donald Trump and now also of the current administration of Joe Biden.
The US once obtained Moroccan approval for political relations with Israel in exchange for the US giant's support for Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara in December 2020.
Within this dynamic, Morocco and Israel have advanced their diplomatic, economic and security cooperation in recent years to a point of great harmony today in 2024. Contacts between ministers from both countries have been constant in recent years, and cooperation in security and defence matters has also been intense, with collaboration, for example, in sectors such as drone manufacturing, where Israel has a privileged position.
Proof of this great current situation is the boom in trade between the two nations, which reached its highest level in 2023. Last year, trade between the two countries doubled to 116.7 million dollars, up from 56.2 million in 2022.
A trend that could have been even more positive had it not been for the ongoing Gaza war between Israel and the extremist group Hamas. The conflict was triggered after Hamas launched a horrific attack on Israeli territory on 7 October, killing some 1,200 people. In response to the offensive, Israel responded with intense attacks on the Gaza Strip that have already left tens of thousands dead, in a spiral of confrontation that is still continuing.
The Gaza war has had a negative effect on commercial activities and this has slowed down the boom in trade between Israel and Morocco in this case. One of the sectors that has been affected is tourism, as there was a significant drop in the number of Israeli tourists visiting the North African country after the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out, as reported by various media outlets such as Yabiladi. Thus, Israeli tourists visiting Morocco in 2023 reached 50,548 compared to 74,648 in 2022.
"2023 was undoubtedly the most productive year for Israel-Morocco relations since the signing of the trilateral agreement on the resumption of relations" on 22 December 2020 in Rabat, as noted in the latest report by the Abraham Accord Peace Institute (AAPI).
The report also recommends that the Israeli government open the promised trade office, in order to help generate a scenario of interaction between the economic leaders of the two countries and the signing of a free trade agreement with Morocco, after it has been concluded with the United Arab Emirates, in May 2022. Measures aimed at "strengthening economic ties between" Rabat and Tel Aviv.