Morocco did most of the way to normalize relations with Israel last month, but has pledged only to open liaison offices, rather than embassies.
Why it matters: That decision led to speculation that Morocco was waiting to see if the Biden administration would reverse Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara before going to the end with Israel. It also disappointed Netanyahu, who expected Morocco to commit to full embassies, according to a senior Israeli official.
Driving the news: King Mohammed VI of Morocco told Netanyahu on a call last week that he was committed to opening embassies as part of the next phase of the process, Israeli officials informed on the call said.
- Mohammed also responded positively when Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat raised the issue of the embassy at a meeting in Rabat two weeks ago, which was also attended by Jared Kushner, Israeli officials said.
- An Israeli official added that normalization was “going too fast” and would ultimately include embassies. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on this story.
The current situation: An Israeli delegation is visiting Rabat this week to inspect the former Israeli liaison office, which was closed 20 years ago but is still owned by the Israeli government, Israeli officials told me.
- Morocco also maintained its property in Tel Aviv, and a Moroccan delegation paid a similar visit there last week to see if the office could be reopened in the short term.
- Morocco and Israel have also pledged in their joint statement to initiate direct flights and resume contacts at all levels of government. Several calls between Israeli and Moroccan ministers have already taken place.
What is the next: Israeli officials say the plan is for the two sides to open liaison offices as early as next week, in temporary locations, if necessary.
- The United States also announced that it would open a consulate in Dakhla, Western Sahara. Deputy Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, David Schenker, will visit Morocco next week to discuss these plans, the state department announced.
Worthless: Sudan formally adhered to the Abraham accords on Wednesday, signing the declaration that the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed in September at the White House. On the North American side, the declaration was signed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who visited Khartoum today.