Morocco and Israel cooperate to build drone factories
Moroccan and Israeli official sources and media have stated that Morocco and Israel are preparing to build several factories specialising in drone construction. Specifically, two drone farms will be built within the Kingdom, in the northern region of Al-Aoula.
According to media reports that have had access to this news, the drones to be built will have a Moroccan label and are intended for offensive attacks and intelligence gathering. The company that will carry out the project will be Bluebird Aero System, an Israeli brand presided over by Amir Peretz, the Hebrew country's former defence minister.
For some months now, Morocco has been trying to enter the world of drone manufacturing and has signed several agreements with Israel. In October news broke of the intention of the two countries to manufacture kamikaze drones that will carry explosives that will explode when they hit various objects, although it has been warned that these will not put human lives at risk. Short- and medium-range missile systems will also be built to arm the Moroccan army with new, more modern technologies.
Agreements between the two nations continue to multiply, demonstrating their good relationship. Another of Morocco and Israel's plans is to establish a new military base near the city of Melilla, considered one of the best places for such a facility. In turn, another key point is that Morocco is close to receiving from the Israeli government a military defence system known as Iron Dome, which allows the Kingdom to control and defend its national borders with a sophisticated system of remote control radars. Specifically, it is a mobile air defence system that will intercept and destroy short-range rockets and also attack projectiles launched from a long distance, with the aim of bombing any location. This military tool is produced by Rafael Advance Systems, a company dedicated to the creation of new technology in military matters that was developed by the Ministry of Defence of the State of Israel. According to them, Iron Dome can intercept more than 90% of the attacks that are launched.
This latest drone agreement was signed on 24 November following an unprecedented security cooperation agreement between the two countries. It coincided with the visit of Benny Gantz, Israel's defence minister to the Alawi kingdom. For their part, all these talks signify the Kingdom's immersion in arms matters and that, thanks to the presence of Israeli companies, they will be able to receive technology to develop and manufacture any type of weapon.
Relations between Morocco and Israel are at an all-time high. Since Israel signed the Abraham Accords in Washington D.C. in 2020, under the supervision of former US President Donald Trump, in which it undertook to cooperate and be friendly with several Arab countries, one of the countries that joined them is the Maghreb country itself.
Over the past year, we have seen actions and gestures that have confirmed that the relationship between the two nations is better than ever. The latest news that corresponds to these facts is seen in Morocco's proposal to celebrate the Jewish holiday 'Hanukah' and the rehabilitation of several places of interest and Hebrew heritage. There have also been several business agreements, such as the one signed by Chakib Alj, president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), who will travel to Israel to seek opportunities for cooperation between the business communities of the two countries; on the other hand, the visit of Benny Gantz, who apart from signing defence agreements, signed another memorandum to establish permission to export products between the two territories. Another event was the announcement of the creation of a direct route between the city of Tel-Aviv and Casablanca, which will unite the two communities, as well as Jews living in Morocco and Moroccans living in Israel, who will be able to travel to their countries of origin without any problems.
