Israel, Morocco women's basketball teams to go head to head in Rabat

The Israeli and Moroccan women's basketball teams will compete in Rabat on Wednesday.

The two nations' basketball federations reached a deal to collaborate together, the Moroccan side announced on Sunday, with the women's friendly falling under this arrangement, pan-Arab news website Arabi 21 reported.

The deal will be signed on Tuesday, according to the Moroccan Royal Basketball Federation (FRMBB). Officials, including the heads of the Moroccan, Israeli and international basketball federations, as well as Morocco's sports minister, will attend.

The pact concerns "cooperation between the two federations to benefit from the accumulation of Israel's experience with basketball on the level of organisation and financial management, in addition to benefitting from Morocco's experience".

Earlier this year, Rabat revealed the conclusion of a basketball collaboration deal with Tel Aviv, noting this would be signed further down the line.

This came after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the controversial Abraham Accords in 2020 to normalise ties with Israel. Morocco soon followed suit, despite widespread condemnation from the public as well as Palestinian factions across the board.

Since then, normalisation has led to a series of Morocco-Israel deals on matters including security and the economy.