Morocco says agreed to boost military ties with Israel

Morocco's army said on Tuesday it had agreed with Israel to strengthen military cooperation including in intelligence and cybersecurity, following defence meetings in Rabat.

The two countries "agreed to further strengthen cooperation and expand it to other areas, including in intelligence, air defence and electronic warfare", the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said in a statement.

The announcement on Tuesday follows the first meeting of the monitoring committee for Moroccan-Israeli defence cooperation in the Moroccan capital.

The two-day meeting examined military cooperation including in the fields of "logistics, training and the acquisition and modernisation of equipment".

The two countries normalised ties in 2020, following similar agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Normalisation is highly controversial across the Arab world and beyond, with Palestinians considering it a betrayal of their national cause. Moroccan citizens have also expressed opposition to the deal and support for the Palestinian cause.

It followed the United States' recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, in a quid pro quo for normalising relations with Israel.

That sparked concern in neighbouring Algeria, long-time backers of the Polisario movement, which seeks an independence referendum for Western Sahara.

In November 2021, Israel's then defence minister, Benny Gantz, signed a memorandum of understanding in Rabat outlining security relations with Morocco.