Morocco largely normalized relations with Israel last month, only pledging to open liaison offices rather than embassies.
Why it matters: That decision sparked speculation that Morocco was waiting to see if the Biden administration would reverse Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara before going all the way with Israel. It also disappointed Netanyahu, who hoped Morocco would commit to full embassies, a senior Israeli official said.
Driving the news: Moroccan King Mohammed VI told Netanyahu in a phone call last week that he was committed to opening embassies as part of the next stage of the process, Israeli officials said of the call.
- Mohammed also responded positively when Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat raised the embassy issue two weeks ago at a meeting in Rabat, which was also attended by Jared Kushner, Israeli officials say.
- An Israeli official added that normalization “went very quickly” and would eventually include embassies. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on this story.
The state of affairs: An Israeli delegation is visiting Rabat this week to inspect Israel’s former liaison office, which closed 20 years ago but is still owned by the Israeli government, Israeli officials say.
- Morocco also retained its ownership in Tel Aviv, and a Moroccan delegation made a similar visit there last week to see if the office could be reopened in the short term.
- Morocco and Israel have also committed in their joint statement to start direct flights and to resume contacts at all levels of government. Since then, several phone calls have taken place between Israeli and Moroccan ministers.
What’s next: Israeli officials say the plan is for both sides to open liaison offices next week, in temporary locations if needed.
- The US also announced that it would open a consulate in Dakhla in Western Sahara. Secretary of State David Schenker for Near East Affairs will visit Morocco next week to discuss those plans, the State Department announced.
Worth nothing: Sudan formally joined the Abraham Accords on Wednesday, signing the statement the UAE and Bahrain signed in the White House in September. On the American side, the statement was signed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who visited Khartoum today.